A WereHunter's story : Fury's story
by DazedInReality
Summary: Reunited with his brothers and leader of the pack, Fury is on the look out for his mate that Ash says he's met before, Fury's only worry is when he finds her will he bring the wrath of his Arcadian brother, Dare, down on her too. XxX
1. Chapter 1

_**I have no claim to the Dark-Hunter Series, all characters except for the main heroine and her family are credited to the brilliance of Sherrilyn Kenyon.**_

_**Prologue 15**__**th**__** century England, Essex.**_

_**He crouched low in the undergrowth until they passed, a pack of Katagaria tressa intent on finding themselves an Arcadian. Not that he was, even he wasn't truly sure what he was. Still he wasn't certain if the Arcadian scent had left him yet, until he was sure he would spend his time alone, in total isolation. There was no one he could trust, his own litter mate and brother had turned him over to his mother and then his mother had tried to run him through. **_

_**How had it happened? How had he been born Arcadian, raised to hate their Katagaria cousins then on the day he hit puberty, bam he was Katagaria. Was that truly possible? Couldn't they have made a mistake? No, the fates didn't make mistakes, they just sat up there on their mountain and took pot shots at everyone on earth, with a sling shot full of misery stones. **_

_**Fury knew there was no mistake, when he slept or when he was hurt he reverted to his base form, his wolf form. That was a true Katagaria. Fury shifted to human form and stood up, moving deeper into the shadows so he would not run into the **_**tressa**_**. The coolness of the weather was typical to England in mid-May and Fury shivered, his skin breaking out in goose bumps, he was naked from changing forms and he concentrated hard trying to manifest clothes on to his body. His magic was wild and untamed, it hadn't been cultivated and refined by a teacher the way his brother and sister's magic would be by their mother. Instead Fury had been left to teach himself through trial and serious error and still he was having trouble with it. **_

_**The clothes appeared alright but not in the exact order he wanted. His shirt hung off one arm while his doublet appeared around his ankles and his hose over his shoulder, Fury cringed with embarrassment even though there was no one around. **_

"_**Life cannot be any worse then this," he muttered to himself straightening his clothes, he wasn't even sure why he bothered; he was Katagaria now, he had no business dressing and acting like a human. Yet it scared him to think of himself turning feral, being lost to his animal side or succumbing to the **_**Trelousa **_**that usually took hold of young Weres reaching puberty. **_

_**He began walking aimlessly, his life was worthless at the moment, the only thing he thought of when he woke up was hiding and surviving. His natural instinct was to find a pack, more and more his mind wondered about his Katagaria side of himself, his father's side and the three cubs his mother had left behind, when she had run from him. His mother had been an Arcadian sentinel out on her first hunt when his father's pack had captured her and raped her. Unfortunately for everyone involved his father found he was mated to her. He kept her for the three weeks trying to beat his mother into submission and to mate with him. But the curse of the fates meant that no woman could be forced to mate and after the three weeks was up, his father was left impotent for as long as his mate was alive. **_

_**Another unfortunate mistake in all of this was his mother finding out she was pregnant with him and his siblings. She escaped and ran with the three human babies and left the cubs behind but not before, so she told him castrating their father. Fury visibly cringed at the memory of her face as she retold the story to Dare and he, he was never certain if she meant castrated in the literal sense but considering that she tried to kill her own son he wouldn't put it past her.**_

_**He stopped just behind low hanging branches of a willow tree and looked through them towards an unknown, secluded crystal lake. It was peaceful and silent there, and so serene and Fury noted to his chagrin, occupied. The tiny ledge of the mini water fall was where he liked to sit and wile away the day when there was nothing else to do, but his space was taken, by a female wolf no less. Not Katagaria or Acadian but a natural honest to god wolf. Fury made a snorting nose of irritation that sounded like hurrrmppff. **_

_**The she- wolf was laying flat on the rock with her paw playfully swatting at the water, Fury smiled at her innocence, if only she knew what it was like to be a were-hunter, would she be so relaxed. Did she really know what it was like to be ever vigilant and on your guard, forever hunted by things that hated you for reasons that weren't your fault. Fury undressed quickly and shifted into his wolf form, now it was his base form he found it to be incredibly easy to change. He burst through the trees and to the edge of the lake and barked joyfully at her, he had meant it to be a warning to get off his rock but it didn't come out that way. He had been alone so many weeks, his voice rusty from lack of use; the she-wolf sprang to her feet, he expected her to have a split second of weariness or perhaps a snarl of attack. Fury was shocked when the joy in his bark was echoed by her own and she bounded down the rock and around the bank to meet him, stopping a few feet from him, her front paw gingerly held in mid air not sure whether to step forward or back.**_

_**Her coat was glossy and thick and a few shades darker then his sandy white fur, Fury moved forward and let her catch his scent, he waited with bated breath and hoped that the twang that his supernatural powers gave his scent did not force her to run. **_

_**All wanted was some company, some one to look at other then his own reflection. The she-wolf cocked her head then went down on her front paws and her butt went into the air, she wiggled it and it was a sign she wanted to play; if he had been in human form Fury would have been grinning from ear to ear. He had avoided contact with every species, and especially wolf males who would think him a threat to their status within their pack. **_

_**Not that he could do anything, Fury was only seventeen, he had one through puberty the exact same time as a human child or perhaps a bit later and he was still a child in the were-hunter world. He would not be considered anything more then a pup until he was at least a century old. And as a child Fury loved to play fight or tag, he mirrored the she-wolf's movement and leapt. They rolled around on the ground and gave gentle bites and nips that produced yelps that would have been laughter in human form and growls that were more like fun curses. **_

_**All of a sudden the she-wolf who Fury had pinned to the ground froze and wriggled out from his hold, she stood alert looking east and Fury's heart began to pound. She streaked towards an opening in the trees when a musical voice was echoing through the forest.**_

"_**Chrissy!" **_

_**The she-wolf growled irritably and began to trot towards the voice. Did she have a master? No wonder she was on her own and not with a pack. She was probably housetrained or something! Fury wrinkled his nose in disgust but trotted after her, she was about to disappear when he barked and she looked back.**_

_Don't leave me__**, Fury sent her the mental message accidentally not realising it was within his power to do so. The wolf looked indecisive and they both cringed when the pretty voice of a child sounded closer calling her name, the wolf made a movement that looked like a sigh and trotted back to him. She licked his muzzle and lifted her front paw, Fury bent his head sadly and licked her paw, she nipped his neck playfully, innocently and although they had just met in their child like minds, they felt they had been robbed of a deep friendship that didn't have a chance to grow.**_

"_**Chrissy!"**_

_Be strong, my wolf-boy__**.**_

_**Fury yelped and backed away from her when he heard a voice of a girl in his mind, she looked at him sadly and ran of into the dense undergrowth. Fury was shocked and sad by her abrupt departure, he plopped his bottom down, sitting on his tail and his threw his head back and for the first time since he had become a wolf he let out a pure wolfish, bestial howl. Long and mournful and full of pain ….**_

_**2008, New Orleans.**_

_**Fury jerked awake with a yelp and looked around, the majority of his pack were still sleeping; only a few raised sleepy heads to watch their alpha get up and walk down towards the lake they were denning near. They saw him dip his head into the lake and shake off the water along with the lingering tendrils of a dream or was it a memory?**_

_Trelousa - is a rabies like virus that hits young were-hunters of both species around the time of puberty, its largely because they cannot control their sudden surge of hormones combined with magic._

_Tressa - are a group of Katagaria assassins _


	2. Chapter 2

(Hey sorry if this chapter is long people, just trying to set the scene, subsequent chapters will hopefully be kept to a shorter length.)

Fury may have been alpha but he seldom stayed with the pack, he hung around half the morning and was there through the night, he went on hunts with them and was always there when he was needed to patrol. But during the day his solitary nature of a lone wolf made him seek seclusion away from the rest of the pack, most alphas liked to be waited on and bark out orders like his father had before him, but not him. More often then not he was in the Lilac and Lace boutique on Iberville in the French Quarter of New Orleans. That wasn't a slur on his sexuality that he spent a large amount of time in a lady's boutique but simply because his elder brother, Vane Kattalakis was usually there with his mate, Bride.

Vane had a immeasurable, bound-less bank account; and therefore had no need to work and simply spent most of his days sitting behind the counter looking handsome and intimidating, trying to entice his responsible, rule following wife to sneak out back for a quickie while no one was looking. Suffice to say that nine times out of ten, Vane got his way with her. Even when Vane wasn't there Fury still found himself sitting upon the counter, that he was given strict instructions not to sit on, chatting to his sister-in-law.

Fury walked through the quarter his eyes following the crowds of tourists and the natives, he raised a hand to Selena Laurens, the local psychic and basic weirdo, Madame Selena was also the sister of two of Bride's best friends Mina and Tabitha Devereaux. Therefore he was more or less friend by association, though it helped that for all her weirdness Madame Selena was a real nice woman.

Selena waved back and then turned back to talk to her friend, Grace, another friend by association, was it just him or was everyone in New Orleans connected by the paranormal? Grace's husband was a demi-god and Oracle, among other things, it was like the damn women's institute without the bake sales and Stepford wives.

Fury opened the door to Bride's store and walked in, his sister in-law was sitting behind the counter looking over some magazines for products for her store. Bride looked up as the small bell atop the door tinkled, she grinned broadly and Fury felt something warm and fuzzy hit him, he knew that although she liked Fang a lot he was her favourite brother in-law.

Bride was a beautiful, voluptuous plus size woman, she had long red curls that were always tied up in a messy bun atop her head, she usually wore long flowing dresses of black or earth tones.

"Hey, pretty lady," Fury said sitting on top of her counter, he grinned when he saw her wince.

"Hey Fury," Bride gave him a poke in the back with her pen to get him off, but he ignored her and cocked his head in a very canine way to look at her magazine, knowing it would irritate her he gave a long low whistle and tapped one of the wafer thin models on the glossy page.

"Now that's a woman I wouldn't mind sleeping on the rug for."

Bride gave a disgusted snort and closed the magazine, "that's a typical man for you, completely fixated on the outer image. Not that her outer image is anything exceptional." Bride flicked through the pages again while adding reluctantly, "except maybe that she is slim and blond and absolutely perfect."

"And not real," Fury added, he laughed when she slapped him on the arm with the paper and threw it from her. He could well see why his brother was in love with Bride, not only was she beautiful but she was kind and fun and loving. Fury wasn't one to give his affection freely but he gave it to Bride, Fury leaned back to look at her.

"Going somewhere special?" He asked, surveying her dark, fitting jeans, a black v-necked long sleeved top that showed a hint of cleavage and black boots with heels that clicked like maracas when she walked. The whole outfit made her look slimmer and well, Fury twitched his head, sexy. Bride wasn't sexy, at least not to him, what she up to?

Bride grinned. "Think your brother will like it?"

"Yeah, he'll love it. You look great, but I thought you hated pants and jeans, you said it made your ass look fat."

"Fatter," she corrected, Fury rolled his eyes at her and she shrugged, "I don't know I guess I wanted a change. Besides he kind of hinted that he likes to see the length of my legs."

Fury raised and eyebrow. "My brother said that?"

"Your brother said that, yes."

"Damn, Fang is getting pushy."

Bride laughed and pretended to hit him, which he dodged, "you know very well I mean Vane," she turned to examine herself in the full length mirror. She was always too critical of herself. "I'll be going soon, so I don't want to fuss with another outfit."

"Where you going?"

"My parents house with Vane and the baby."

"Cool. Where are they?"

"Getting ready."

"Who's minding the store?" He hoped it wasn't Jennifer, she was so boring and stuck up.

"You."

"What!"

"Come on Fury, you know how, your in here all the time."

"That doesn't automatically qualify me for working a lady's boutique, Bride!"

Bride turned on him with sad eye and he was lost, he wanted to whine and whimper but he took it like a man. "I didn't know you really wouldn't want to. I'm sorry Fury, don't worry I'll just close shop. I would have asked you to come today to but my sister is there today -"

Fury cringed, Bride's sister hated him, for some unexplained reason more then she actually hated Vane. "Sorry to put so much on you."

"Its ok, Bride, I'm just over reacting. I can handle this. No point you losing out on a days trade, huh?"

Fury would have been able to turn her away without a second thought if her apology to him had been in anyway insincere. He hated liars but Bride was completely genuine and he loved her so he could deny her nothing. Bride hugged him tightly and pulled back when Vane flashed in to the room, Vane was carrying his son that had just turned two; the boy looks a lot like his mother but he was very much his father's son.

"Get your hands off my mate, Fury!" Vane threatened, Bride laughed.

"No point now, she's decided to dump you and run away with me to Barbados," Fury said wrapping his arms around Bride's shoulders, Vane bared his teeth and jiggled his son in his arms.

"Hear that son, mommy might be leaving for a vacation without us. What do you say to that?"

The little boy growled a realistic wolf noise that Fury remembered teaching him only a few days ago. Vane and Fury laughed while Bride gaped, she swatted Fury's arm.

"Don't think I don't know you taught him that!"

"What? This is so cool, he can speak wolf at the age of two and he's an Arcadian!"

Fury couldn't help feeling pride for the his nephew and when Vane dumped him unceremoniously into his arms he took him without complaint. Fury was about to open his mouth and talk to Vane when he caught a glimpse of his brother's face, Vane had got a full look at his wife and was growling. With his hands on her waist Vane was pinning his wife in the corner, blocking her from view and Bride's dulcet laughter filled the store. Fury curled his lip in the required sign of disgust and turned to stand his nephew on the counter top.

"Come on, Quinn, do the howl like I told you."

After a few urges and a bribe Vane's son let out a pup like howl and Fury whooped with glee.

Charisma yawned and dutifully followed her sister out of the store, she hated shopping it was so … she waited for the word to come to her but it eluded her as it had done all morning and she just settled for 'girly'. Not that she wasn't girly, she just wasn't her sisters type of girly, Blaze, loved all the things that made you essential female - make-up, jewellery, hair styles that were too complicated to do every morning (though with their powers it wasn't much hassle, but Blaze was psychotic, she did it by hand!), dresses and skirts and fro-fro headbands.

Yeah, they were cute, Charisma conceded, but they were just so …. Again what word to use, how to describe ..?

"My now, that is nice, isn't it?" Blaze tossed her long, straight, tomato red hair over her shoulder so it swished and fell down her back. Charisma turned to see what Blaze was squealing at, set in a tall red brick building was a large window trimmed in burgundy and black was a slinky black dress. Now black; that was more her colour if she had to wear anything at all. Blaze was in the boutique before Charisma could think of a complaint and so she just followed, pushing at her heavy fall of thick blond curls. Stepping in behind her sister, Charisma noted this was exactly the type of shop Blaze would love to live near, it was so feminine. Blaze had always described her as being earthy or a natural beauty, she wasn't at all materialistic, but one thing that could always catch Charisma's eye and hold it were three things, lingerie; perfume and necklaces. Since the shop had an abundance of all three Charisma wasn't about to moan just yet, this shop was a combination of all things she liked. Charisma didn't take notice of the three adults in the room but smiled lovingly at the child, she nodded to all and politely declined the help of the a pretty, auburn haired lady.

Blaze sidled up behind her as she was bent over looking with mild interest at a thick, gothic Victorian choker.

"Lupus," Blaze hissed making her jump, Charisma rolled her eyes, Blaze was never subtle and in this day and age not everyone was entirely ignorant of Latin.

"I know they are wolves," she replied calmly in the same language, the dared not use their own language because that would surely attract unwanted attention, if they were to speak in their real language the wolves would very likely howl. Blaze shrugged and moved away and then made a squeal so loud Charisma winced, she turned with her lip curling in disgust.

"What is wrong with you?" Charisma sounded like she genuinely wanted to know, apparently too shocked or happy to speak Blaze held up a white beaded dress that Charisma instantly hated and shook it.

"This would look so perfect on you!"

"No it would not," Charisma said simply and turned to look back at the perfume.

"Yes it would, you have that body structure, you'd fill this out in all the right places. And you need a dress for tonight." Charisma prayed for patience, she visibly cringed at the description of herself, she wasn't plump… exactly. She was nicely athletic, she was healthy, her muscles tone in a nice feminine way that swimming gives you rather then sinewy like runners get. But still there were bits of her that just wouldn't leave, hips for example.

"Blaze, I am not wearing that," she said in a calm reasonable voice one would use to talk to an over emotional child. "I will not wear something that rattles when I walk and fits me like a second skin, and stop shaking it your making me nauseous."

The blond man at the counter with the baby laughed and for the first time Charisma's eyes really settled on him and her breath caught. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. With blond hair pulled back in a pony tail that would have fell to his shoulder when free, was her guess. There was nothing boyish about his face it was all completely masculine. His mouth fixated her, firm full lips that begged for kisses, it was a mouth that hinted at cruelty but was softened by the quirk of his smile. His eyes a piercing blue made heat flow through her body in a way she had never experienced before, he was extremely tall, taller then the men of her race and deadly. Oh yes, this one had an air of absolute danger, it clung to him as the dress would have done to her, like a second skin. His broad shoulders and eight pack were defined by the stretched material of his black t-shirt, she trailed her eyes down his body to rest on his lower half, in faded blue jeans that made her mouth water. Charisma let her eyes crawl back up his body to lock with his gaze then Blaze's voice jerked her from her study.

Charisma looked over to see Blaze looking at the auburn haired woman with a pained expression and the woman was laughing. Charisma blushed for no reason at all.

"She is truly impossible. Everything nice she ruins, but we've told her, everyone needs a dress for whenever your going out, it's the fundamental rule of being female. That -"

Blaze raked an offensive glare over Charisma's outfit, "is all she wears."

Charisma looked down at her black t-shirt that was a little loose, and her jeans that were a bit worn granted and her converse that were a little dated. She shrugged, Charisma could look good if she wanted to but what was the point? Who was there to bother to impress? Though while Blaze was pointing out all her inadequacies in front of the gorgeous blond guy, she wished she were wearing a ball gowned.

The pretty lady passed Charisma a covert sympathetic look while Blaze continued talking and Charisma grinned, yeah she liked the woman.

"Are you just visiting New Orleans?" Charisma let her eyes roam over the wolf that was standing with his arm around the lady, his stance said protective with a healthy dose of possessive, it said adoration, love and an untameable lust. Charisma found herself smiling, they had only just arrived here, she didn't know what to expect but a feeling of genuine kindness wasn't it, pure love from and handsome wolf to a beautiful human wasn't it. She sighed wistfully in her mind while Blaze answered.

"No, we're here to stay," she replied, it was obvious by the softness in her smile that she had noticed the great vibe in the room. "Our family has bought the old shop on, well … across the street from here."

"Oh, that was you!" the auburn woman said, apparently delighted. "Yes, we've renovated it and made it in to a coffee house. We love coffee, well its really my elder sisters business but she roped us all in to helping. And since she's pregnant helping actually means doing it all. But -"

"Too much information, Blaze," Charisma interjected before she got on a roll and let something slip, Blaze gave them all dazzling smile then turned back to the rack of dresses, Charisma gave them a vaguely apologetic smile. "She's very friendly but has no idea when to shut up. She's very much a people person."

Which was really all that was to be expected from a Goddess of healing and protection.

"That's no problem, I'm Bride by the way," Charisma shook hands with her then with her husband who she introduced as Vane then, her heart pounding in her throat to Fury, her brother in-law. There all of a sudden seemed to be a lack of air in the room when their hands gripped and she didn't know whether he felt it but a sizzle of heat shot up her arm and sent her heart rate rocketing to a whole new level.

Fury licked his lips as his hand held her soft one, his body reacted instinctively, heat pulsed through his arm and pushed his pulse into warp speed. It was something he had never experienced before, an attraction he was very sure was mutual by the look on her face, she blushed adorably and let go of his hand daintily clearing her throat.

Her sister, who was nice but was too much like a red headed man made whirl wind, turned around at the same speed and held up a black dress, Fury supposed he was just a guy and he didn't know anything but that dress looked to him like the many that were dotted around the store on different racks and in different colours. Blaze however was looking at it like it was her personal Jesus so what did he know?

"You have got to try this on! Can she try this on?" Blaze rounded on Bride who nodded, her amber eyes shining with laughter. Blaze dragged a reluctant sister into the fitting rooms, Fury let his eyes follow her and again licked his lips, he sincerely wished he was the one dragging her off behind those heavy curtains.

He barely heard Bride and Vane bid their goodbyes before leaving the store, he didn't see Bride raise her eyebrows at her husband in a knowing way or his brother's evil, answering grin.

More then once his eyes strayed to the curtains where he could hear whispers and scolding going on, then finally after what seemed an age the curtain was whisked back and there she stood. Quite angelic, Fury thought, he had never yet seen a woman what people would describe as having a face like an angel or heaven or anything so divine. Now he witnessed it first hand, there was something definitely other worldly about this tall, cool, quiet blond. He had yet to learn her name but right then he couldn't even unstuck his tongue to ask for it. Now, he could see the attraction of the dress, it hugged her in all the right places, showed off just enough of her leg and thigh for a man to look and instantly want to know more, it was simply teasing. As was the bust area that cupped her small breasts and pushed them up creating a cleavage, it was all streamlined elegance; she was the epitome of all that was young and healthy. What was it that was niggling at his mind, her skin was so healthy and fresh, her eyes youthful yet old … Fury let those thoughts trail away when her chic sophistication was contrasted by the wild mane of messy blond curls that caused his fingers to itch. His body hardened painfully and he tried to sneakily tug at the leg of his jeans to loosen the pressure building there.

"What do you think?" Fury blinked.

"Hmm?"

"We need a mans opinion," Blaze muttered, "What kind of impact does the dress have? On you as the opposite sex?"

Sex, impact, was she trying to torture him, and worse of all the sexiest woman he had seen this century was looking curiously, not sexily or slyly, but curiously over her shoulder at him. He very nearly whimpered.

"I think Miss," Fury said slowly as if considering his answer, "standing in public, looking as nice as you do in it, could cause major traffic accidents, heart attacks and not to mention marital spats."

The blond grinned and there was that warmth again, that feeling that was bugging him even while he enjoyed it. He had never felt such attraction towards a woman before, her sister was just as beautiful, perhaps even more so, yet he couldn't even spare her a glance. He has once asked Vane how come he had spent enough time with Bride to discover she was his life mate, he remember his brother sipping his beer thoughtfully and then replying that he had felt an overwhelming attraction to her from the first moment he saw her. That she stuck in his thoughts and when he saw her again it was almost a compulsion to go and talk to her, to comfort her and not to mention he was completely consumed by lust for her.

Fury glanced back at the woman with sunshine in her hair and wondered …..

No, Fury gave himself a mental shake as Ash's words came back to haunt him, the all knowing, all powerful leader of the dark hunters had been so kind as to depart the information that all of the Kattalakis brothers had already met their mates, even if they didn't actually know it yet. Fury had almost choked on his own tongue when the dark hunter had said that, he had met thousands upon thousands of women in his lifetime, both Katagaria, Arcadian and then just plan old human. Though him being an animal it was impossible for him to be mated to a human so it narrowed it down … vaguely.

There seemed little to know hope for him finding his mate unless he felt the need to go and track down every woman he had ever met and have sex with them. Fury sighed, some things just weren't worth the hassle. Besides this woman could not possibly be his mate, he had never seen hide nor hair of her until today, and if he were mated it would take the fun out of teasing Vane and occasionally Wren on being mated.

"Oh, Chrissy, you'll have to get it."

Fury froze, literally, inside and out.

"Don't call me that!" the blond said through gritted teeth, "my name is Charisma, I don't like that any better but it's a bloody bit nicer then -" she wrinkled her noise and hissed, "Chrissy."

"Fine, Charisma," Blaze said mockingly emphasising the name, "get the dress."


	3. Chapter 3

(I realise that Acheron's book has just been released but all my Dark-Hunter/ Were-Hunter fanfics are all pre-Ash's book)

Fury stared for longer then was appropriate when he had heard the name, 'Chrissy.' It was like something prickling at the back of his memory, he knew it should make a connection but to what? It was like the ringing of a faraway church bell, you lose the sound as its pitch weaves in and out of the everyday noises, but you know its there; catching its melodious tune as it reverberates through the sounds of traffic and life.

Fury watched Blaze pull the dress from her sister's hand that had appeared from behind the curtain, the dress hung tantalisingly from her slim fingers, her long forearm naked before her, just as teasing as the dress had been, when the curtain concealed the flesh just before it got to an exposed shoulder.

"We'll take this," Blaze said dumping the dress on the counter, Fury cleared his throat dragging his gaze from the curtain, that the arm had disappointingly withdrawn behind, and had set it swaying enticingly. Fury wasn't as good at the whole customer service as Bride, or even Vane for that matter. He had little, well scrap that, no people skills. Hell, yeah he could be nice for all of five minutes and then he usually said the wrong thing, or the worst thing you could possibly say to that particular person and it was downhill from there. And it had never bothered him, in fact he revelled in his ability to piss people off, but this time was … different.

"That will be …. 150," Fury said checking the label, hoping she didn't want it gift wrapped or anything, his eyes strayed to the curtain, she would most likely be getting dressed.

"150 what?" Blaze asked genuinely puzzled, Fury let his eyes swing back to her and arched a gorgeous brow.

"Dollars."

"Oh yes, right …" Blaze took her purse from her bag and seemed confused, she fiddled lightly with her small thin gold necklace. "Would that be the coins, or the, err, paper sheets?"

"What?" Both of Fury's eyebrows were raised, what was with this chick and he let out one of his quaint little sayings, that were likely to offend women. "Are you drunk?"

Though he didn't smell booze from her.

"Blaze!" Charisma had appeared from behind the curtain, dressed back in her casual clothes once again, Fury noted that her tone was unusually sharp. She moved swiftly to her sisters side at the counter and took the dress and the purse from her hands and turned an apologetic smile on Fury who felt like he had taken a knock to the head when faced with its brightness.

"Sorry, we're not from this country," Charisma muttered, her cheeks glowing crimson, Fury was enchanted.

"That's okay, I had trouble with it myself when I first came here."

"Your not from here?"

"No, I was born in England," he couldn't understand why he was telling her this, but he smelt trust from her, a sincere interest in him. Her scent was one of truth and purity, he felt like he was standing under the brightest sun after many years in the dark. He wasn't using that as some dramatic metaphor, she was invigorating and refreshing.

"England." She tested the name out on her tongue, elongating the 'En' syllable. "Don't they have different accents in England?"

Fury was once again struck by the feeling that this beautiful woman wasn't all she seemed. "Err, yeah. Yes they do. But I lost mine."

"What a shame," she commented, her eyes eloquent in her sincerity; she seemed to honestly regret the loss of his home accent that he let out a harsh laugh that made her blush again.

"I did it deliberately. The things we do to fit in, huh?"

Charisma nodded shyly and agreed, "yes, indeed."

Neither noticed their exchange being watched closely by Blaze who's eyes were alight with mischief and glee.

"I'm very confused in this place. We seem to have lived a very different life to many people here. I …I'm not a very sociable person at any rate."

Fury laughed again and agreed. "Me too. No species are ranked very highly in my book but," he paused and gave her a measuring look, Fury's sharp mind ticking over as his eyes devoured her with a heat that produced a shiver in Charisma. "You seem very nice. A little shy maybe, but pleasant all the same, there is a natural goodness in you. I can sense it."

"You have good senses," Blaze muttered but it fell on deaf ears, they only existed to each other.

Fury was mentally kicking himself. Nice? Pleasant? Not only were they complete understatements but …. Nice. What woman wanted to referred to as nice?

"Your very honest," Charisma gifted him with such a shy little smile that it made him want to lean over the counter and brush his lips gently across hers. Gently? Him? This girl was screwing with him big time, she needed to get out of the store or he did, and since Bride would have his head it should be her. Why then as his hands itching to pull her to him and make her stay?

"I try to be."

"You are."

They stared for a long moment. Just stared, and in that time Blaze had formulated just how she was going to get her shy, virginal albeit rather tough and stubborn big sister together with this fit young wolf. Wolf, Blaze almost laughed aloud, how ironic.

Fury stared in to sparkling emerald eyes and felt his stomach tighten exquisitely with lust and then dimly he heard Blaze clear her throat; both jumped and he noted how the elder sister blushed and daintily cleared her own throat.

"Are you, erm, are you …"

"What?" Charisma asked suddenly confused and a little disappointed by the sudden breaking of their connection. Because be there no doubt about it, there was a connection.

"The dress," Fury croaked out and shook his head, "do you want the dress?" he snapped and felt instantly contrite but didn't show it, there was something weird going on here.

"Yes, I do."

Fury folded it as neatly as he could, and tried not to look so uncomfortable as both women winced when he shoved it rather unceremoniously into the bag and rung up the till.

Charisma slid her gaze to Blaze who she saw was watching her like a hawk, and bit back a smile. Her little sister bless her, was a open book, she knew that right now under that sleek red head of hers she was forming plans for match making. Only problem with that was she would have to get in line, Charisma shy though she was had seen something she very much wanted, it was something she had secretly yearned for for many years.

Only one last step to take before she could pursue this beautiful wolf, Charisma looked down into Blaze's purse and began to methodically pull out dollar bills.

"Look, can I help you with that?" Fury didn't wait for an answer but leant over and gently pulled her hands that were cupping the purse on to the counter top. He was getting agitated, she was doing it, he needed alone time, he needed her away from him so he could breath right again.

Fury sorted through the money quickly and efficiently stowed the rest back into the girly purse, Charisma handed it over her shoulder to Blaze; her eyes still on Fury.

"I wouldn't let anyone else do that if I were you, you might end up a good few hundred dollars lighter then you should be."

"You mean people will steal it?" Blaze piped up from over her sisters shoulder and Fury smirked sarcastically.

"What did you grow up sandwiched between the Brady Bunch and the Partridge family? Yes, Miss, most people will rob you and not give a damn about it."

"They wouldn't dare," Blaze stated firmly, with a definite nod and Fury, his eyes raking over her small stature gave another less then amused laugh.

"So red, you think you could take down some of the best muggers in New Orleans, I hope you've watched the local news before you came out today."

"I don't have to," Blaze shot back smugly, "I have her." And she nodded to Charisma who promptly told her to be quiet, there was such underlying heat in her tone that she did so but reluctantly. Charisma turned the full force of her emerald stare on Fury once more, and now he shivered, but more from the sense of power she exuded and only half from lust.

"Your hardly worried about being careful," Charisma noted, "your not even armed."

"I don't need to be."

She stepped back from the counter at the growl in his voice, but not from fear, Charisma knew that the stream of questions was making him uneasy, cornered. It was his nature to lash out, as and she hated to admit it, it was hers. She had spent many years hiding her animalistic nature but there were definitely times when it came back to bite her in the behind.

"Well, if your not to scared to walk the streets," Charisma carried on breezily as if there hadn't been that moment of tight tension, "I would very much like to see you at our opening night, its on Friday. So you have a whole week to sike yourself up for it."

Fury gave her a wry smile, what was it about this woman, his whole body felt drawn to her, even his heart was pulling towards her, its icy exterior melting in the presence of her light. Only his mind would save him.

"I'm not much of a coffee person," he said trying to cut off the conversation and he saw some of the light flicker in her eyes, was sorry to see it leave but she needed to go away, she was making him think things. Things he had no business, no right thinking. She was a beautiful and lovely woman, he wasn't a nice man; damn it! He wasn't even a man. He sighed regretfully and Charisma nodded but held a friendly hand out anyway, why did she have to be so enchanting?

"Well, in case you change your mind and come there, look for me. I'm Charisma Basia."

Fury scanned his limited knowledge of Greek, she had pronounced it ba-shee-ah, that alone had given him chills, and if he was right that was a her last name meant something like foreign or strange, well all he could say was this girl had been aptly named. He saw her swallow and look uncomfortable so he put his hand into hers, immediately he felt a light fluttering in his head, like wings tickling his skull. A sizzling warmth zinged up his arm and spread rapidly through his body, it filled him with euphoria and made him want to let loose a howl of triumph, behind the girls the bell upon the door was tinkling and the glass in the cabinets was filled with prisms of light. Fury yanked his hand back from Charisma and just stared at her, he caught the barest glimpse of himself in the mirror to the right of him. All the colour had seemed to have run out of him and into her. While his face was stark and pale, hers was bright and flushed with colour, yet for all of that blush her face was a picture of fear. He knew it was fear, he was raised on fear, he knew fear well and he could smell it rolling off her in waves

"I'm sorry," she managed before whirling round and out of the door with Blaze at her heels.

"No!" Charisma moaned into her hands, "no, no, no, no!"

"What is wrong with you?" Blaze asked incredulously, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her to a stop. Charisma turned to face her sister, her heart pounding, misery etched on to her face.

"That wasn't meant to happen-"

"Of course it was," Blaze laughed, she had openly yearned for years for her Calling, "It was just the Calling, Charisma."

Charisma groaned again. The Calling was what her pantheon experienced when they had found their 'other'. The physical reaction to him alone should have alerted her but when they had grasped hands, Charisma had called out telepathically to powers beyond her own and asked the fatal question. 'Who do I belong to?'

The question was answered, the bells chiming, the prisms of light all revealed Fury, the Katagaria were-hunter to be her … there wasn't a word for it in the human world other then soul mate. Fury was her soul mate.

Damn it things were going to get tricky. She knew almost all there was to know about the were-hunters that she had gleaned from the minds of the bears in the bar not far from here, it had been fascinating! She also knew that they had their own way of selecting mates that included sex, that alone gave her the jitters.

Charisma gave another groan, she doubted very much that Fury would ever want to be near her again after that fiasco, she didn't think he would be able to feel the affects if he were not one of her kind, like always she was mistaken.

If a God or Goddess who experiences the Calling doesn't choose to mate with the designated person, no harm will come of it, not in the way were-hunters are. Well, no physical harm at least; however that person or God will walk through life forever not whole, with a single most important piece of their soul missing. The experience alone can drive a person insane or so she had been told. Already Charisma was feeling the affects, she wanted to go back and look through the window and see if he was alright.

And the worse part or maybe the best part, she wasn't sure at the moment, perhaps she should call it the most fatalistic part was they had met before.

"You don't understand," Charisma whined, "he knows nothing about us, of what I am, of what we are. And …"

"And?" Blaze prompted.

"I know him already."

Blaze's face broke into a smile which flickered when she noted that Charisma wasn't also smiling. "Why is this bad, doesn't that alone prove you were meant to be -"

Blaze broke off with a dawning look of comprehension that changed to horror, Charisma would have laughed if her heart hadn't been aching, her face was so expressive; right then Blaze was showing horrified admiration for her sister.

"When?"

"In human years, a few hundred years ago. In our years, well lets say I was fifteen at the time so not too long ago."

"You visited the human world when you were fifteen, unaided and without protection, without telling anyone?"

Charisma shifted guiltily.

"Rage is going to be so pissed off!" Blaze whooped gleefully, Charisma winced thinking of their older brother who as the god of storms and the ocean, and the most temperamental person she knew, he was perpetually pissed off.

"We've only been here a few months and already you sound human," Charisma sneered at Blaze for lack of what to say, Blaze merely shrugged and grinned.

"Does he recognise you?"

"No," again Charisma felt that guilt before muttering a barely audible, "I was a wolf at the time."

Blaze laughed so loudly this time that a young and rather gorgeous couple across the street stopped arguing to look over, Blaze waved at them and Charisma sneered when the man refused to look away from them. Human men were disgusting, his wandering eye was what they were likely to be arguing over.

"He is succulent," Blaze noted, looking over at the man and winking, the woman shrieked and Charisma pulled Blaze away, mouthing sorry to the woman. Blaze laughed wickedly and produced a flyer advertising the coffee house from her purse, tossing it in the air she shouted "Come see me on Friday, Sweetie."

His girlfriend was practically spitting venom and raised her hand, the guy caught it and pulled it down.

A by product of being mated her people's way was that no other man would ever affect her again. After that situation, it was such a relief. Blaze carried on as if the woman had not been writing her name on her 'to kill' list.

"Blaze, why can't you be normal! If looks could kill, that bitch would have had us in the ground!"

"You know, Chrissy, I used to think you were boring," Blaze said, in her usual tactless way, "but to be honest I am so proud of your rebellious streak. So this is what you were doing when you would go off on your own. Ha! This is so great!"

Charisma tried not to feel happy at the slightly self-satisfied feeling she got from her wild little sister thinking she was a rebel.

Ash tipped down his sunglasses and looked past Artemis and studied the two mysterious women that dashed off down the street, the little red head laughing enthusiastically.

"Let go of me Acheron," Artemis screeched, "I'm going to sizzle that human whore!"

"Your not going to 'fry' anybody," Ash muttered unfazed by her tirade, his eyes were still lingering on the two young and completely unknown goddesses walking down a New Orleans street.

Was something going on he didn't know about?

Ash grinned darkly, was there ever? The answer to that was hell no! All he would have to do was probe a little and he'd know exactly who these women were. Though they looked like no deity he had ever seen, and as to what pantheon they belonged … hmmm, a mystery.

Artemis dissolved the disguise of a luscious brunette that had been designed to tempt Acheron, he'd seen straight through it and that annoyed her and now he was staring longingly up the road after those two whores and that made her furious. While his attention was directed away from her Artemis drew her hand back and then lunged forward to slap his face viciously, her nails were extended for the total effect.

His swirling silver eyes did not leave the silent and deserted road end up ahead, instead he merely caught her wrist in a tight grip, just tight enough to threaten her, make her think twice about trying to strike but not enough to break bones.

"Don't do that again, Artie," Ash's voice rumbled menacingly in the night, "I don't have any qualms about biting the hand that feeds me, so to speak. If you'll excuse that little bit of crude god humour." With that Ash flicked his wrist elegantly and Artemis stumbled back, catching herself against the wall.

"You would dare to strike me!" she hissed, her fiery red hair almost crackling with rage, Ash gave her a bored look while his mind searched for the women he had just seen.

"You don't qualify as a friend, family or a woman, so yes I would kick the shit out of you and its only pure iron will that stops me from doing so."

"I hate you!"

"Oh," Ash pretended to shiver with ecstasy, the movements he made alone were a turn on to Artemis, his voice only added a sensual effect that had her reaching for him "please say that one day and mean it."

"Come to Olympus, Acheron," she slivered behind him and let her arms come up under his, to slide over his chest so she could lean up and purr in his ear. "I'll make it worth your while."

"Will you give me my soul back and get the fuck out of my life?" He asked it nonchalantly, but despair blossomed anew in his heart when he thought of how well she had him imprisoned.

"Of course not," she chuckled lightly, yet to Ash's ears it was malicious and he broke away from her hold, keeping his face expressionless so she never knew how much he despised it.

"Then its not worth my while." And he turned his back on her with a cold disdain that cut her all the way to her frozen heart. The lengths she had gone to keep him, to please him, to show him affection and love when he had had none. He owed her something after all their time together!

Artemis allowed him to walk a little way from her and simply watched the perfection that was Acheron. No artist could paint such a cultured and handsome face, strong proud chin and a straight nose, perfect straight white teeth that could scrape the line of her neck so exquisitely; Artemis shuddered at the thought.

His eyes a deep swirling silver that were always so cold, like hard steel when they looked upon her, yet when he gazed upon his beloved dark hunters or that horrific looking demon, Simi, those eyes intensified and warmed to a boiling mercury. And she hated him for that as well.

Why could he not love her as he had done once before? She would not let him go then and she would not let him go now. That was final. He best get over it.

Her gaze lingered over his firm behind, encased in black leather, his long legs and large muscles chest, broad shoulders and strong toned arms were all suffocating under that leather and though she admitted it looked good on him, she liked him better out of it.

Even while his hair was dyed a disgusting black with that vile streak of red running through it, he still possessed an aura of invincibility, of sexual prowess and expertise, of danger and seduction. He was temptation and power personified, alluring in the most deadly way and was all the more enticing for that streak of stubbornness that refused to bend to her almighty will.

Acheron was thankful Artemis had hung back so he could track those women, when he had a fix on them he used all the powers he possessed against their incredibly thick mind shields. His forehead beaded with sweat as he tried to trace a path through one of the girls minds, she was too well guarded and too strong to enter her mind from this far away. He was good but even a god like himself had some limitations, if she were in his sight it would be different, that alone assured him that she was a goddess. He switched to her sister and found her much easier, this must be the red head he thought with a quirk of his lips, her mind was more open and less disciplined on how to control power, though it shouldn't have been this easy, he probed deeper. Her mind and its blocks had sustained deep trauma, a damage that came from being possessed or hurt by dark magic. It was there that he soaked up as much information as he could without her noticing his presence. Suddenly Ash felt himself jerked back from her mind and looked at Artemis.

He ground his teeth in frustration and shook her clinging body off his arm, why couldn't she just leave him alone? But oh no that would be far too much to ask to leave him be to fight the creatures that her brother had created.

"Get off me," he snarled and made to flash himself away from her, but stopped, realising that for once she might be of use. He turned so he was facing her once more and she was pouting.

"Artemis, have you heard of any new pantheons moving into the area?"

"What will you give me if I tell you?" she asked slyly, her hands clasped behind her back she glided towards him.

"I'll tell you what I'll give you if you don't tell me!" Ash growled and Artemis squealed and ran back a few steps.

"I don't know of any. Why?" Her eyes were suddenly suspicious, "what have you heard?"

"Nothing."

"You - no - you think those two humans were Goddesses!" She let out a peel of laughter that even masked by her beautiful voice grated at him.

"Well, they were certainly beautiful enough."

Artemis stopped at once and pulled back her lip to expose her teeth in a snarl. "You bastard!"

Ash laughed evilly. Well that settled it, he had suspected it but Artemis in her ignorance of the women had confirmed it. The two women he saw were not humans, they were goddesses but from no pantheon of this dimension … so from which?

And how did they manage to cross over without creating any chaos? To cross over dimensions was one of the most risky, dangerous pieces of magic to perform, it knocked out of balance all things in the dimension you came form and the one you jumped into and then started a domino effect on all the rest. Where were the signs? The prophetic omens that foretold the upcoming apocalypse? The four horse men, the cats giving birth to litters of snakes, the days of darkness, plagues, famine, crazy people flocking the streets in religious mania?

Interesting ….

That was Ash's last thought before flashing himself out from under Artemis's nose and was in his own home with Simi and Danger before he heard her scream of fury.


	4. Chapter 4

_There were words for men like him, Fury thought to himself as he kicked angrily at a pebble across the pavement, well there were several. He vented his anger out on himself by reciting a few choice words in his head as he reached the glass doors of 'Odette's Coffee House'. _

_Very original, he thought snidely, and then felt stupid for bitching over a sign. He was angry at himself for seeking a woman who against his supreme better judgement attracted him on a level that was indefinable. There was something not quite right about her, and her sister, yet the days that had past without his seeing her had been insufferable, he had been edgy and grouchy, his head constantly looking at Bride's door when he was in the store or watching the sky when he was alone. His mind always wondering where she was, what she was doing, what she was thinking …_

_Fury stepped into the pleasantly warm interior and on inspecting the inside he raised an appreciative eyebrow, as he had lived half of his life as a human man and now he was a wolf, that for him was reason enough why he had never had the slightest bit of interest in interior design. If it was in the furniture family you sat on it, the walls can be left bare it didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference and well knick-knacks; they just took up space. _

_However Odette's place, which he heard through the grapevine was one of the middle sisters in the Basia family, was arranged so expertly and coordinated in such a way that even he, the most undomesticated wolf on the planet had to appreciate the effort that had been applied here. _

_It was dimly lit and cosy made of stylish dark wooden panels covering the lower part of the walls, a wooden floor took up most of the space before the door but led on to a carpeted area with several couches, with throws and cushions that were plush and comfortable looking, sparsely surrounding two glorious fireplaces. The whole place was decked out in deep soothing colours, as if the proprietor knew exactly how to manipulate the colours to fit the moods of a variety of different people and blend them all into one relaxed atmosphere. The quiet and gentle calm was further endorsed with a background noise of lulling flutes and pipes and a voice of a woman that could send you into the most wonderful dream. _

_The area where the coffee and snacks were made looked more like a bar, its shiny wooden top was clean and sturdy, surrounded by several tall stools. The owner had taken pains to fuse the characteristics of a bar, a traditional coffee house and a homely cottage in the country; Fury admitted he had not expected this and even more of a shock was how much he liked it. _

_The shop itself was buzzing at the moment with first night jitters and the expectation of the clientele, rather then try and fight for an armchair or couch and also because he wanted to sit on his own, Fury opted for a table in the corner on the floor, rather then the carpet. _

_His eyes scanned the bar, the carpet area, the dark corner where his acute eyesight spied a stage. He let his senses flare out but it brought back no hint of Charisma being here, her scent lingered lightly but she wasn't here, and Fury's heart pounded. He was disappointed and he was relieved and that just plan confused him; Fury prided himself on his simplicity. But he was also angry. She had invited him here, knowing he might come just so she could stand him up. _

_Women! _

_He let out a disgusted breath, yeah, there were names for him alright. A dickhead. And that was a mild one. Well, his motto had always been never trust something that can bleed for five days and not die, that was women for you, ever untrustworthy and ever just plain unworthy. His mother was a woman, she was the same. Well not that he could blame her for being the nut case she was, with his father being such a bastard and all. It gave him deep satisfaction to think about the punishment Vane had dealt out to the pair, sending them on an island together where they can fight all day but not kill each other, stuck together with only your most hated enemy as company. Vane was a mean bastard under all that family man shit!_

_Fury spotted the little red head … what was her name? Blaze. At the bar, she was handing a mug of coffee the size of a bowler hat over to some guy who was gawking at her breasts, Fury grimaced when her eyes took a swing around the shop floor once, twice. Luckily she didn't spot him and before she could he was up out of his seat and out the door, letting out a relived sigh. He jammed his hands in his pocket and hunched, he began walking aimlessly, without thought for direction. For now, Charisma had lit a fire under him, his thoughts turned to her more then he liked over the week, it had gotten so bad that by Friday he felt ready to burst; he had to see her. He didn't mention anything to Vane, or Bride, even though he liked his brother, Fury still had trouble believing the concept of having a family now and most of all trusting them. _

_Trust was for fools, Fury thought, and though on occasion he was prone to saying stupid things he was not a fool and he wasn't stupid, nor did he suffer people of the like. Blowing a low whistle between his teeth, he intended to go back to his pack and watch those with life mates enjoy each others company. The pack generally accepted him more since Vane had handed the leadership mantle over to him but there was a certain reverence in the way they acted towards him that he had never had from them and it meant he was no longer truly one of them. He had no mate, and he had been a prime candidate for becoming the Omega wolf before his promotion to Alpha. The Omega wolf was one that was generally picked on a punished for deeds in the pack, it was in effect a scapegoat; being weak was not an option if you were a wolf, were or natural. It was only through pure viciousness and ruthlessness in fights and day to day handling of pack politics that kept anyone from trying to make him the pack push around. The memory of their audacity still raked at his belly with vicious claws of fury, he scowled and his bad mood became worse, memories had a way of doing that._

"_Hey wolf."_

_Fury looked up and saw Acheron leaning nonchalantly against the side of a building that was the new club in town; its hip hop music pumped out in thumping waves, Fury sneered at it. He hated hip hop._

"_Dark-Hunter," Fury inclined his head and was preparing to walk on but Ash fell in step with him and they walked in silence up for no more then a few paces, when Fury turned to the powerful being beside him._

"_Why are you following me?"_

_His tone as always, unless he was talking to his brothers or Bride and his nephew, was entirely suspicious. He didn't count any friends._

"_No reason," Ash said with a graceful shrug of one shoulder, he stopped and because Fury was so reluctantly interested in what the Atlantean had to say to him, he stopped to. "The club sounds good."_

_Fury raked his eyes over Ash's goth outfit, pure black leather accompanied by chains and buckles and really cool boots with flames on the heel. With his full length black trench coat swishing around his ankles, Fury then turned to look at the door of the club, the music had changed subtly. _

"_You like hip hop?" he asked incredulously. Ash gave a smirk and moved towards the door and motioned Fury to follow._

"_I find the dance routines fascinating."_

"_Uhuh. There's dancers here?" Fury angled his head to look at the two bouncers who were trying to look mean, but only succeeded in looking shocked when Ash in his goth attire and Fury in his ragged jeans and white t-shirt stepped through the door. "This place don't look like a strip joint."_

_Ash laughed lightly and moved out of the small, short corridor and into the heart of the club, dozens of sweat slicked bodies moved against one another to the strangely catchy beat. Fury smirked as he noted more then a few heads turn towards them, even the oblivious humans recognised absolute power when they saw it, it was why the crowd kept their whispers and curious but ultimately dirty looks to themselves. Both men caused quite a stir though and the women, black white and other turned at the approach of the were-hunter and the Atlantean. An attractive, clean cut African American man was sitting at the bar, his eyes raked Fury over and then over Ash, both ignored him until he let out a cackle of amused but completely cheerful and harmless laughter._

"_You come here often?" The guy asked still chuckling as he picked up his drink and gave them a rather sarcastic toast, Fury chuckled darkly. He could appreciate good humour._

"_No, first time," he grinned and the man laughed again, "You?"_

"_Man, I work here," he guy leant forward to offer a hand and Fury took it, noticing though the guy didn't that Ash had somehow managed to evade being touched. "I'm a bartender, just finished my shift." Fury raised an eyebrow at him, "you must really like your work."_

_The guy laughed again and shrugged, "come on brother, this place may be all work but there is some pleasure in it."_

"_What do you mean?" _

"_Nah, you ain't been here before," the guy said and took a deep drag of his cigarette, and nodded towards the deserted stage in the corner. It was bigger and better lit then the one at Odette's. "Ain't seen women like this in a long time. 'Specially that new girl, umm mmm! She is fine!"_

_Ash smiled to himself and Fury who was a head and shoulder's taller then the crowd looked at the stage. _

"_I can't really be caught saying that though, my boss would kick my ass! I'm Curtis by the way." _

"_If he gets that bent out of shape over it she shoulder be dancing in the first place," Curtis laughed again, it seemed the only thing the man did. _

"_My boss is a woman and its her sister. This place was a complete shit pit until Celeste took the place over, she decided to bring some good entertainment to here. Terrific singer comes in once or twice a month and a DJ, but the dancers are usually what gets the crowd going. One of the dancers pulled out one time, she stuck her sister in and the crowd went wild, man. Fucking loved her. Of course she don't dance regular like, damn near impossible for Celeste to get her to. Real shy, quiet type. Bet she's an animal under all that though."_

_Fury raised an eyebrow at Curtis and shrugged, Ash handed him a drink which Fury accepted graciously but it took all his will power not to toss it. Human alcohol could not get a were drunk on account of their faster metabolism. Fury knocked it back without so much as a grimace, recognising it as a spirit of some kind. Curtis who had watched him, widened his eyes and nodded to himself with silent admiration. _

"_Ah man, here it comes!" Curtis cried and sat up straighter from his lazy slouch and fixed his eyes on the stage. Fury let out a groan and was about to round on Ash, who he found out had conveniently disappeared. As the opening music to pussycat dolls 'Buttons' came on, Charisma's scent engulfed him and threatened to drown him. _

_Barely holding himself back from howling he directed his eyes to the bar where several women had strutted out in sexy outfits and began a dance that sent all the blood rushing from his head to his groin._

_Charisma despised being the centre of attention. _

_She wasn't a dancer she was a goddess, surely a goddess doesn't have to be subject to whims of an overbearing slightly distraught sister. It was only because she was pregnant, if Celeste hadn't been pregnant Charisma was sure she would be able to refuse her sister. She ground herself against one of the male dancers who had appeared behind her, the crowd wolf whistled and Charisma felt herself blush, it could be disguised as exertion from the dance but inside she was mortified. _

_Charisma caught the eye of one of the other dancers a pretty Portuguese woman named Danna, the woman gave her a subtle wink and turned lusty looking eyes upon her dance partner. Charisma tried to look natural when her partner's hands moved up her waist and over her ribs cage, with the choreographed sexual tension between them she had to pretend to enjoy it. If she had mentioned to Celeste that she had found her life mate and soul mate in Fury and therefore found the touch of another man slightly nauseating, her sister may have let her back out._

_However she had refused to tell any of her sisters about the fact that she had found her soul mate, it was hard enough trying to keep Blaze quiet, she didn't need the rest of them interfering. She didn't simply want Fury tied to her, she wanted him to like her, to … well perhaps care for her a little. She didn't want to trick or deceive him, the memory of when they first met came back to haunt her so much over the past week and she couldn't stand it, she knew instinctively his life had not been kind to him and she did not want to complicate things more for him._

_Your life hasn't exactly been a picnic, chided in the back of her brain._

_Well, it had until recently, she reasoned with herself, be that as it may, she didn't want people hurt, especially not people who she could potentially give her heart to, people who could potentially hurt her._

_The crowd roared its approval when the dancers moved their bodies in a particularly rhythmic and sexual move and it was nearly too much for Charisma, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. Where was the white night of legend come to save her? _

_A vicious growl had her almost tripping over her own feet, it was only the arms of her dance partner still wound round her that kept her upright. Charisma looked up at Fury with awe filled eyes, words stuck in her throat along with her breath, his face was a picture of dark anger, it sizzled and snapped at the air around him. He ripped her from her partners arms and scooped her up in his own, and made to storm from the stage but Daniel her stupidly courageous dance partner put his arm on Fury's shoulder intending to stop him from abducting her. The growl that came from her wolf's lips silenced the crowds mutters and diminished whatever spark of courage and gallantry lingered in Daniel. Charisma caught Danna's eyes, they were wide and shocked, she could see the naturally caring woman preparing to strike at Fury to help her. Charisma merely grinned and shook her head at the woman, Danna blinked, raised a brow at Fury then grinned back. _

_She tried not to be darkly thrilled by being so primitively kidnapped, yet she reminded herself it was nearly every woman's little fantasy. _

_Fury had carried her back out into the street and did not put her down until they were in a dark back alley away from civilisation. He stood her up right and looked at her through raging fiery eyes, the piercing blue causing her to shiver, it was so dark that a mere mortal would not be able to see anything other then a silhouette of him, standing just outside the circle of light produced by the street light. The orangey glow it produced was pale and dim in comparison to the quarter moon drenching the world in white silver, Fury backed her up against the wall and around her steam from manholes swirled magically in the air and noises of the urban night faded away until his heaving breath an her gentle pant was left. _

_She thought he would he would take her there and then, up the wall, but he didn't, he simply pinned her there, his forearms braced, taut and powerful on either side of her head. There was no fear in her, Charisma realised, only a deep triumph in her and a aching relief that she was seeing him again. _

_Fury had never known jealousy before, not like that and especially not over a woman, it was raw and maddening. Never had a woman effected him so, and the way she stood there before him; a mysterious smile on her face as if she had wanted him to act like an animal and grab her, pulling out of that asshole's arms and carrying her off. It was as if she was waiting to give him rather then making him fight for it; he had rarely fought for a she-wolf when he was just a foot soldier in the pack. You were required to pay in blood and bone for the right to mate with one of the women. The females would walk around the men, their scent driving them insane then she would pick who she would wish to fight for the right to fuck her and they would. Sometimes to the death. _

_It was a waste of life and a waste of blood, no woman was worth it, not a wolf nor a human. But this woman before him … she wasn't either of them…._

_He had only fought for a female when he could stand his self-imposed celibacy any longer, and when he fought he always fought to win. But he never liked to mate with the she-wolves, he preferred to get sore from sheer exertion, not from claws laying open his flesh and from teeth biting so deep and hard that it took the sexual pleasure away completely and replaced it with pain. And never afterwards did he feel that strange sense of euphoria, that lazy sated feeling that you got when you were in a post sex haze. _

_It was always as if he were waiting for something better, something different, he had never known what …_

_Fury leaned into Charisma and sniffed her hair, he heard her gasp beside his ear and shiver between his body and the wall. He wanted to peel away that impossibly short hot pants and run his hands up those legs that he was sure went as high as her ears. All smooth and delicious and not for him. He cursed and was about to throw himself away from her when Charisma could no longer stand it._

_She cupped both hands firmly behind his neck and pulled him roughly to her. His lips met her own with a need bordering on desperation, he wanted and she gave, he needed and she allowed him to take._

"_Take it," she chanted, "take it all!"_

_Fury pushed his fingers forcefully through those thick untameable curls and fisted his hands, he yanked her head back, her long slender throat exposed to him and he feasted on it. Feeling a dark delight when he felt her moan under his plundering lips then he pulled back, her nails dug into his hips and she locked her gaze on to his. He could feel her desire like it were his own and it made him want her all the more. She had told him to take and he wanted to, by the gods did he want to. But more then that he wanted her to know what was taking her, what she was giving herself so freely to. Insane he knew but somewhere, beyond conscious thought and reality, he knew this woman would understand, that her heart could overcome boundaries. He had never been one to trust, tonight for the first time in so many long cold years, he spoke on impulse and with trust._

"_You know what I am." He made it a statement and Charisma felt her heart pick up a beat, she trembled at the unknown look in his eyes. Trailing her finger down his cheek she then placed her palm flat to his chest, just above his heart. Not meeting his eyes she nodded._

"_I know exactly what you are."_

_She saw some emotion flicker in his eyes before he hardened them and the only clue to what he was feeling was the tremor of anguish in his voice._

"_How do I know you?"_

_Charisma felt like crying for him, not knowing was tearing at him and not being with her soul mate was tearing at her._

"_Remember me, Fury," she whispered, her emerald eyes imploring him, she fisted her hand in his shirt. "Think of a lake and two pups, playing by the water. Remember me."_

_Charisma moved closer to him because she needed to, with both hands fisted in his shirt she leant her forehead against his chest an waited, unconsciously she timed his heart beats and made her breathing match his rhythm. _

_Fury bent his head to sniff her hair and closed his eyes. A lake. Two pups. Playing. Chrissy._

_His eyes opened. He remembered._


	5. Chapter 5

Charisma felt his arms wrap around her body tight and then he flashed them out of the alleyway, she clung to him even when he let go, raising her head so their eyes could meet. She made her hands let go of his shirt so they could slide up and take off the band that held his hair up, she pulled it free and threw it over his shoulder, not taking into account where they were or who they were with.

Her eyes never left Fury, all she wanted to see nothing but Fury.

Her fingers slid into the blond strands, her nails gently teasing his scalp, she filled her hands with his hair for a moment, relishing the texture and smell then moved to massage his temples. She pressed her lips to his throat and felt a rumble vibrate against them as he spoke.

"Sit there," Charisma looked up, he had his eyes closed but his hands gripped her upper arms and pushed her away from him towards a moss covered log. She sat and he stared, she shifted uncomfortably, he began pacing. Charisma looked around at the glade they were in, the grass and boulders awash with moonlight.

"Where are we?"

"no where, somewhere. Don't worry your safe."

"I don't doubt that."

"Well, you should," Fury snapped, "You don't know me or what I am capable of. And I don't trust you. Not a good combination, lady."

"Don't call me that!" Charisma snapped back, she didn't like him putting distance between them mental or physical. Fury stopped his pacing and gave her a slightly amused look. "You know my name, and you'll bloody well use it!"

Fury smirked at the fire in her eyes, she stuck her nose in the air and turned from him slightly. A silence sprang up between them, she refusing to talk and he not wanting to break the silence so he could continue to study her.

She was all delicate grace, Fury thought, surprised by the melting in his heart region, the feeling of rightness and completeness was there now that she was. He didn't want that feeling to end just yet, but he by no means trusted her.

"So," he said finally, "what are you?"

Charisma pursed her lips, not entirely sure what to say to him. Her family would simultaneously have a cow if she told him the whole truth, but she supposed she could give him a diluted version.

"I'm, well … you see, I'm," Charisma made several stuttering noises and waved her hands as if trying to push her meaning into his head. "And, yeah, so, well, what I am is difficult to erm, err, well explain -"

"Will you just tell me!" Fury snapped and Charisma's voice cut off immediately, she daintily cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Well, I'm," before the stutters started again she spat it out in a rush. "I'm a goddess."

"A goddess," Fury said it slowly as if he were tasting it on his tongue, testing it. He stared at her for a moment. Nope, that was one thing he was pretty sure she wasn't going to say.

"Yes," her voice was brittle and brisk as if she were readying herself for attack, Fury raised his eyebrows and thought of another way around broaching this conversation.

"Are you sure?"

Her nostrils flared in anger and she made a noise in her throat that seemed part scream and part snort, Fury quickly held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, Charisma folded her arms and turned away from him.

"Ok well if you're a goddess, which pantheon are you from if you please?"

He saw her open her mouth to speak then shut it firmly. He cleared his throat pointedly and she gave him an icy look, with a sigh that made her shoulders sag, she held her hand to her side, offering him a seat on her log.

"This isn't difficult to explain but you may want to sit down."

Fury suppressed a groan, that couldn't be good, not that mixing with gods was any good period. Fury sat and she turned to face him so that their knees brushed, he noted that she was a very touchy person. She reached a finger out to trace a pattern over his knee, it was soothing and relaxing and he had to put all his effort into being irritated at and suspicious of her.

"I don't belong to any pantheon that you will ever have heard of," she began in a voice that suited a lecture in a classroom, it sounded a bit like a stern school matron and on the heels of that thought came one of canes and sexy teachers outfits. Yeah, he was definitely sick in the head. Fury ran his hands over his face and then looked at her through the gaps in his fingers, she had stopped and was watching him with an eyebrow raised.

"Am I boring you?" Her tone was sharp. Again the image of whips … down boy. He shook his head and motioned for her to continue.

"Well, as I said you won't have heard of my pantheon, we are from one called the Veritinician's, in your language in means 'the ancients ones'. We're… we are from another dimension. An alternate universe."

Fury watched the finger on his knee and gently grasped it, taking her whole hand in his he turned it over so he could stare at her palm.

"Why are you here?" His voice was low and searching, it made her heart clench for some reason.

"Our world is dying." That was basically the truth.

"How?"

Charisma smiled sadly. "Its time for things to end in that world." That was a lie.

"Then why aren't you dying with it?" Suspicion was second nature for him and no matter how much her pretty face tugged at his heart he could not ignore his nature. Charisma reached up to place her hand against his cheek, Fury closed his eyes and turned his face to nuzzle her.

"Because I don't want to die yet," Fury opened his eyes at the overwhelming sadness in her voice, it made him want to gather her in to his arms and hold her tight. "I haven't really lived yet. I want to live, Fury."

And she wanted to love, and be loved. She let out a sigh and her hand fell from his face, it was too much to hope for that he could ever understand.

"What do you want of me?"

There was always a catch. Fury hadn't gone through life with his eyes closed, he knew that nothing in this world came for free, no good deed goes unpunished, everything had a catch. And it was the most precious beautiful things in the world, Fury thought looking at Charisma, that made you pay the highest price.

"I don't want to take anything from you, Fury," Charisma sighed as if tired, "I just -"

"What?" He wanted her to finish that sentence, desperately.

"I want you. No frills and pretences. Just you."

His heart lifted but still it sounded to good to be true. "Me? What have I to give -"

His words were cut off when she simply moved forward and laid her lips over his own, Fury moaned and giving in to stupidity he dragged her forward. They both tumbled off the log and on to the grass, Fury pulled back to stare at her, her smile was blatant invitation, not something he would have expected from one who looked so shy.

"I always said I would come back to you, wolf-boy."

Charisma noted with relief there was no dark suspicion clouding his beautiful eyes, no twisted frown on his kissable lips, just a searching look as his gaze roamed her face.

"I've dreamed of you," Fury murmured, leaning down to kiss her hair that fanned out over the lush green like spun gold. "Every night your there, after nightmares and bad thoughts, your there chasing away my demons."

Charisma's throat tightened and in response she clutched him closer to her, her hands clinging to his shoulders. "I dreamed of you to. I longed to come back and see you."

Fury wasn't sure if he should be angry or shocked, he wasn't sure which emotion suited this situation; but he pushed aside rationality and reason, logic and practicality had no place when after a life of simply existing, you felt like you were finally living. Down -in-the-gut- happy was something a person rarely felt, perhaps he should savour it, one of Ash's favourite sayings was 'carpe diem' or 'seize the day'; Fury's response to all this had been that good things never lasted as long as twenty four hours so what was the point? Now he understood the dark-hunter, damn it, he understood him well.

Charisma was not sure what to make of the expression masking his face so she chose to ignore it, she wanted him and more then that she wanted him to want her. She wasn't from this world, this dimension, everything she once thought she knew had been turned on its head but it seemed as if fate was pushing her in Fury's direction, showing him to be her only constant and anchor in a whirlwind of confusion.

She could feel the hard length of him pressed firmly, intimately between her thighs, his broad chest pressing down on her breasts, she felt the evidence of his desire and it caused white hot fire to burn through her blood stream. She hissed as Fury's lips buried against her throat, he began to move against her, grind against her in a primitive dance that wrapped them both up in lightening and storm. She wanted to scream out, even with clothes between them the power of their mating could and would shatter her before its completion.

Fury gasped, never had foreplay or sex done this to him before. It was almost too much feeling, his skin was painful where it was so sensitive, he knew he should stop; he knew without a doubt that if he didn't he would wake and find a burning symbol on his palm, tying him to a Goddess.

He'd think about it later, he thought as he trailed his lips down her throat to the swell of her breast and lightly, very lightly, bit down on the milky skin, relishing Charisma's moan.

He laughed and sat back on his heel in between her thighs, he lifted a finger to trace the hem of her black hot pants that had drove him crazy when she had danced, he hooked his fingers in the waistband and lowered them, drawing them down her long legs with aching slowness.

"Your so beautiful," he whispered almost to himself and Charisma just smiled at him, that alone set his heart pounding anew.

"So are you," she replied, then arched her back as he bent down and nipped at her ankle.

Who knew there was such an erogenous zone? He did it again enjoying her unabashed reaction to him, Fury raised his head and looked up at the same time Charisma did and they laughed together, her eyes alight with such joy, he could not muster any resistance against her.

Fury moved up her body at the same leisurely pace, he had never been able to take time like this with a lover. All his lovers were demanding, he was there to please them and his needs became second place, a she-wolf fought her lover, forcing him to pin her down while he pleased her. They would fight for domination and he found it was exhausting in the worse way, without any of the added benefits of sex.

Perhaps it was all those years he had spent as a human that had caused him to look with distaste at the mating rituals of the wolves, were-hunters generally shifted into human form for sex, finding it more pleasurable, however in no less animalistic. There was no care taken, no savouring of the partners body as he found himself doing with Charisma's, and by doing so he found her most sensitive areas. The areas that made her gasp, moan and arch her back pleading for more.

Fury kissed, licked and nibbled up her leg until he could tease the valley between her thigh and her hot centre, then he striped away her lacy panties with his teeth; Charisma let out a gasping laugh and trailed her hands down to bury in his hair. He moved further up, enjoying his exploration of her body, like a predator he slid himself over her to look down into her precious face.

"I hope you'll allow me to do that to you when you've finished," Charisma said working her hands under his shirt and over his broad shoulders, she tugged the shirt up over his head and bit her lip at the sight of his chest. All tanned flesh, dusted with gold hair and so many scars , Charisma leant up and kissed the one on his shoulder, Fury felt his throat grow tight and busied himself with ripping away the thin barrier between his mouth and her breasts. He lavished the small handfuls with great attention and barely took notice of his needs until they were to great to be denied. Fury pulled back to look in to Charisma's eyes while he pulled her knees further apart, his eyes darkened with passion and Charisma nodded her acceptance of him, raising her hips in invitation. As she did so she vanished his jeans with mere thought, not wanting their skin to separate for a second.

Fury eased himself into her and gasped at how tight she was, he bit his lip and pushed further only to feel her tense and close her eyes as if waiting for something. Then it hit him.

She was a virgin!

It humbled him as much as it shocked him and Fury became still, preparing for the cut of cold air as he pulled out of her.

Charisma bit her lip, concerned by his sudden stillness and silence, he dropped his head on to her shoulder and took deep measured breaths. She slid her hands down to cup his ass and pull him nearer but he stiffened more and shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a virgin?" he asked quietly, Charisma's heart picked up a few beats faster and it was all she could hear, drowning out birdsong and her own voice.

"I didn't think you would be with me if you knew the truth," she murmured, tears of humiliation filled her eyes and she turned her head and fixed them on a small rock as she willed them away. She heard Fury huff out a laugh and closed her eyes when she felt his lips skim over her cheek and down to the corner of her mouth to tease it open for the invasion of his tongue.

His kiss brought her back to the highest level of need and had her raising her hips to meet his once more, she had never been with a man like this. Never wanted to. A woman of her race could technically have a relationship sexual and emotional with a man who was not her mate and vice versa, however there would always be the chance that they would meet their mate in the future and the attraction between them would always be too much to be denied. There would be pain all around. Her sisters had had relationships with the mortal men of their realm and other Gods but had refused to take it any further then physical, Charisma hadn't wanted anyone to touch her heart or her body other then her mate and she always felt that the first man she kissed was in someway a betrayal of her mate. Though she would never have admitted it if asked. It was merely her preference to remain celibate until she found 'the one'.

Fury took hold of Charisma's hand and twisted his fingers with hers, he was so happy, he felt as if he were already tied to her, like she was made to fit him, her body created to accept his. And she had waited, and then she had chose and he had been who she wished to give her body to, she didn't fight him, she didn't hurt him, her beautiful face masked no selfish or cruel intentions.

"I'll be so gentle with you, love," he whispered huskily before he eased back in to her and when the tip of him met her barrier he paused for a moment, his body breaking out in a sweat from the restraint, he longed to plunge and to bury himself in her body hard and fast and make her his. But what she had freely given he would never mistreat or abuse, so he waited still until he felt the nod of her head beside his and heard a ragged whisper of, "please, now Fury", before he thrust into her and felt her wince and became still once more.

She gasped at the pain and it almost brought tears to Fury's eyes, he hated hurting her, he leaned down to erase the pain with his tongue , his kiss soothing and gentle and like none he'd ever given or received. He felt close to her, though it was crazy to think so, he felt as if he'd known her a lifetime and loved her much longer; but that was a secret that was not yet ready to be told.

"Only for a moment, baby, just a moment," he whispered in her ear before he licked it and he felt her moan when he began to slowly slide his body in and out of hers. Charisma bit her bottom lip, she never knew things could feel this way and here she was surrounded by nature and being loved so thoroughly by her wolf; it was fate. Pleasure quickly replaced pain and before she knew it she was crying out under the navy sky, while the world came away at its seams. It was like blue fire, riding lightening, for both of them it swept them past a simple act of sex and was more like a baptism in fire. Was this how everyone felt about their mate? Fury wondered before coming back to earth.

Fury lay beside her and worried over her silence, she had her back to him and he had been running his hand over it for the past five minutes; what should he say to her? And worse of all he knew them to be mated, even though the mark had yet to burn into his palm, would she feel betrayed that he had taken her and not told her how she would be tied to him?

Charisma rolled over on to her back and smiled at him through the eyes of a woman well pleased, he smirked back unable to suppress a feeling of complete male satisfaction.

"That was wonderful," she said, stretching and purring, never had her body felt so relaxed and limber, so used, she blushed slightly at the thought but grinned all the same. "You are an amazing lover, Fury."

"I won't remind you that you've never had any to compare me to so I'll just thank you," Fury said amused and pleased, he leaned down and run his lips over her shoulder delighted when she moaned, that was proof enough that her body was still as sensitive as his own.

"You can thank me better then that."

Fury laughed and kissed her thoroughly, lingering over her, savouring the taste. He stared into her eyes, that were looking sleepy and pleased at the moment, he sighed.

"If you had told me, I would have been more careful with you," he said, running his big rough palm over her bare hip, "I would have made sure you were well pleasured."

Charisma threw her head back and laughed before rolling on her side and propped her head up on her elbow to study him.

"You know I was pleasured. And if it worries you so much you can make it up to me," she gave him a sirens look and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Were-hunters were not tired by sex as human men were, if anything it invigorated them, one round in the sheets or on the grass, Fury thought plucking at a blade, was definitely not enough. Already his body was full and aching to be back inside her but he knew she would be sore and would not be able to take it again without there being pain. So he refrained from getting himself to worked up.

Charisma watched him and knew why he was holding back and though she was thankful for his thoughtfulness and it warmed her heart she didn't want him to be disappointed, shifting closer she took him in her hand and began a slow sensual massage. Fury closed his eyes against the rush of pleasure and taking a deep steadying breath managed to pull her hands away from him. He opened his eyes to see the hurt look on her face and it cut at him, he quickly pulled her closer to him, kissing the frown from her mouth.

"You confuse me," Charisma said when he pulled back and Fury sighed, he looked so sad and lost that she wanted to cry for him.

"Charisma, I confuse myself. I need to tell you something .." Fury sat up and pulled his jeans back on, he turned to see Charisma sit up also, her expression weary but turning more towards sad. He didn't want to see such a look on her face and even more he didn't want to see her sad expression turn to hatred of him as he told her what he had carelessly done.

"Well, spit it out then," she said casually reaching for her clothes, Fury winced at the undercurrent of anger in her voice. He raked his hands through his hair and then looked at her, seeing her tousled hair and bright eyes, her skin flushed from their play; his heart ached terribly.

"I've tied you to me," there he got the first bit out, Charisma cocked her head and then shrugged, Fury growled.

"I don't know how much you know about were-hunters which is what I am -"

"I know everything about were-hunters. I know you were made by a king who wanted to save his Apollite sons and magically spliced their DNA and made them into were-hunters. One had a human heart the other an animal heart, the fates ordered them to be killed as they were an abomination, no offence," she added quickly and Fury merely twirled his finger, gesturing for her to carry on. He realised his mouth was open and closed it while she continued.

"And he said no so they were cursed to kill each other, the two races have been at war ever since."

Fury clucked his tongue and raised an eyebrow at her, she blushed and shrugged. "Do you know that the fates chose our mates for us?"

"Yes."

"Do you know we have to have sex with our mate before we know?"

"Yes." Damn it, does nothing shock this woman!

"I have it on good authority that my mate will be someone I've met before. So it could very well be you."

"It better be me!" She snapped and Fury was momentarily stunned, he shook his head and unable to think of anything to say, and doubled up in hysterical laughter.

Charisma rolled her eyes and waited for him to stop, he was perfect she thought as her eyes roamed his body she got a tickle in her abdomen when she saw the muscles of his stomach spasm with laughter. She watched him straighten, and he stared at her with such intensity that it made her grow warm, in her nakedness she was unable to shield her body's reaction; his eyes became more heated and he pulled her into his arms. Lifting her palm up he held it and waited, Charisma moved closer and her breasts pressed flat against chest.

"Charisma?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you goddess of exactly?"

She smiled at that and wriggled against him, he groaned and smiled.

"Guess."

"Hmm," he pretended to think, "of wild, uncontrollable sex?"

She laughed, "you would think that. I am nature, I am the huntress, I am the wild."

Fury felt a shiver play down his spine at the deep power he heard in her voice. How could a goddess possibly want him? How could he measure up to what she wanted? How could he be what she needed? Fury had met the Greek gods and goddesses over the years, each may have been different and some had even been quite benevolent, still they all possessed a streak of selfishness and sense of their own power and importance. Was Charisma the same?

Charisma took little notice of the magnificent sunrise that was about to be born, it surrounded them in glorious soft gold and the morning air chilled their bare bodies, but Charisma could only see Fury, could only feel passion and pride for her 'mate', finally after so long she was allowed to love him. Fury held his hand up and set his palm beside hers and as the top curve of the sun burst over a dark horizon their palms burned in unison.

Fury absorbed the pain, didn't blink, or wince or hiss, he watched as the identical symmetrical symbols appeared on their palms, it was over as quick as it had began. Fury let happiness blossom in him, even if it only lasted for a little while, he bent his head and kissed Charisma's palm and looked up into her eyes, they were damp and full of tender emotions.

"Does this mean I belong to you now?" She whispered, closing her marked palm over his, Fury answered her the best way he could think of.

His lips crushed against hers and devoured her, while he wrapped her in his arms and lifted her from the floor, twirling her in the dawn.


	6. Chapter 6

(Thanks for the reviews people, fact is I didn't really rate the last chapters very highly myself but if you liked them, great and if you have any comments on how my writing can be improved, even better.)

Fury opened the door to Bride's store and walked inside as if he were dancing on air, in spite of himself he could not keep the stupid grin from spreading over his face at unexpected moments. Bride glanced over her shoulder and when she saw Fury turned fully to glare at him with her hands on her hips, Fury inwardly flinched under her steely gaze, he held up the single yellow rose as a peace offering and gave her a charming smile.

He had picked up the rose for a small gift for Charisma, the yellow reminding him of her hair; but he didn't think his mate would fuss too much over him giving it away if it saved his skin.

"Hi Bride," he said as if he was not melting under her evil stare.

"Hello Fury," she replied coolly and Fury who had been pretending to lean against the counter and read one of her magazines dropped his head in his arms and groaned.

"I'm sorry, ok? I'm sorry," he raised his head and straightened when she didn't look appeased by his apology. "Oh, come on, Bride, its not as if you noticed I was gone .."

He trailed off again and took a step back for running room when the scent of her anger tripled, he held his hands up, palms out in a placating gesture.

"Of course we missed you!" Bride cried and he visibly winced at the hurt in her voice, if Vane heard it he would rip his throat out. "Fury, how can you say that? You've been gone three days without any word telling us where you are!"

Three glorious days, Fury thought wistfully. He and Charisma had spent a whole three days in the forest he had flashed them to, making love, eating, making love, talking, swimming, making love …

They had only returned when both he and Charisma realised they hadn't seen either of their families for that long, and only because they were liable to organise a search party did they agree to go back to New Orleans. Fury had been amazed by her, she had no problem with him being a wolf, the night when they had lain down in the grass to sleep Charisma had snuggled to his side and he hated the fact that in his sleep he was no longer a man. When he had woken the next morning Charisma lay beside him as she had all night in her wolf form, it touched him as nothing else could. They talked of many things during those days. He had told her of things he hadn't told anyone, of his life with his mother, of being almost killed and disowned by them when he had turned Katagaria. At that point her eyes had filled with tears and she had sat in his lap holding him, her tears squeezing his heart; he told her of life before Vane in the pack and after as the alpha. In fact the only thing he did more then talk was make love. Yeah, those three days had definitely been worth the roasting he was going to get now.

"Bride, I know I should have got in touch but things happened," Fury said, scratching the back of his neck, the way he always did when uncomfortable or when he was trying to lie to her. She was the only one he couldn't do it to and that pleased her greatly.

"What things!" Bride demanded and Fury looked helplessly at Vane and Fang that appeared at the doorway leading to her back room, they both had evil grins on their faces. "Don't look at your brothers, Fury, they won't help you now!"

"Bride, come on -"

"No, whether you like it or not Fury your family! My God, don't you think I see how you act, I pull you close and you pull away. You're my family, Fury! And Vane and Fang's family. Why do you keep pulling away from us?"

Fury had never gotten into this discussion before and tried to laugh it off, "Bride, I don't know what your thinking -"

He looked over at Vane and Fang appealing for help and noticed their faces were now solemn and serious. Again his hand went to the back of his neck and he blew out an irritated breath, "Bride this has nothing to do with why I haven't been round for a couple of days!"

"Three! Fury!" Bride cried, "you haven't been around for three days! And why? Well, you sure as hell won't tell us, that we know!"

"A wolf is entitled to a little privacy," he muttered and stepped back when she took a brisk step forward, "now, Bride, be reasonable."

"Fury, when are you going to stop this self-isolation thing you've got going?" Her voice went from furious to sad and searching, it made him feel like a slug for worrying her but even worse then that, it dragged up issues he wanted dead and buried. He had never given Bride enough credit for her observant nature, he would have to be more guarded around her.

"When are you going to drop the defences you've got up? Have I not earned your trust by now?"

Fury felt his throat tighten, he loved Bride dearly, if anything she was the only one he even barely trusted. "Of course I trust you, Bride."

"What about Vane?"

"What about him?" Fury gave Vane another pleading look but his brothers were far too interested in what Bride was dragging up, he felt cornered, and that pissed him off. He growled and began to pace, Vane noticing the unpredictable animal rage building in him stepped forward to pull Bride back, but she pushed his hands away.

"Whenever your all together, you, Vane and Fang, its like you take one step back. As if you feel like you have no right to be there, taking your place as their brother. As if you don't trust us at your side. Your not an intruder, Fury, or an observer. Your one of us."

He stopped his pacing and looked at her, his sister in-law sure knew how to made him feel like an asshole, she stood there with tears streaming down her face and it made him want to run with his tail between his legs, but he had never been a coward, so he simply sighed.

"She does have a point, you know?" Fang said, scratching his chin thoughtfully, Fury gave him a practiced droll look.

"well she does!" Fang cried defensively. "I mean the first time you ever called me 'little brother', and by the way I want you to know I despise the 'little' part, was when me, you and Vane rescued Wren that time remember? And how long had we known that we were brothers up until that point?" Not waiting for an answer he carried on, "almost a whole year. That's how long."

Fang looked at Vane who nodded and Fury rolled his eyes, "that's because it's the only time you deserved to be openly acknowledged as my brother, Scooby!"

Fang grinned and shrugged while Vane stepped forward, his expression very serious, "And when Bride and I first met and I found out we were brothers, you were gonna disappear without a trace. Just introduce yourself and go."

"You know I had my reasons!"

"Yeah, you were too stubborn and insensitive to think about if we wanted you to stay," Fang chirped in leaning casually against the door frame.

"And when people ask if we're related, its always me that has to say that we're brothers. You never say it" Vane continued his tirade, "why is that, Fury?"

Fury scratched the back of his neck and winced, it was quite raw by now, he couldn't help but throw a scowl at Bride, but Vane was still looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Fury cried, "I thought that was a rhetorical question!"

Fang barked out a laugh and Fury sighed. "Does this really matter anymore?"

"If its what's always stopping you fully being a part of us, Fury, then yes it matters a hell of a lot," Bride said softly, she moved to stand before him and Fury had a sudden quite sobering jolt, it was one thing to see your brother married but a whole other thing to realise why. Fury groaned and looked at Vane helplessly.

"Do you ever win an argument with her?"

"Never," Bride answered for him, "he adores me and does everything I say."

She giggled as Vane pulled her back to his front and bent down to nuzzle her neck, Fury sneered on principle, "what a mutt!"

Fang laughed and came forward to lean against the counter as Fury sat on it, now that rather uncomfortable moment was over he had to think of a way to telling his brothers he was mated. The only reason they didn't know was because Fury was a master of hiding his scent, he had never perfected the magic of their race but one thing he could do above all else was cover his scent. He'd had to do it from stopping anyone realising he had come from Arcadians first of all then second of all to stop anyone realising he was related to Fang, Vane and their father, who loathed the two wolves ever since their birth.

"So, where have you been these last few days?" Fang asked wagging his eyebrows, Fury raised his own.

"Is that supposed to mean something or do you have a twitch? Little brother," he added tauntingly just to hear Fang growl. "Ahh, hear him, Vane? He yelped!"

Fang smacked Fury on the back of the head, "come on just tell us, or we'll sic Bride on you."

Fury cast his sister-in-law a boyish grin. "Sorry you worried about me little sister," he said before taking a deep breath. "I met a woman."

Fang howled his approval while Vane and Bride laughed. "So she was good enough to ditch us for, I presume," Fang wagged his eyebrows again, this time Fury bopped Fang on the back of the head only half jokingly.

"Well, anyway, this happened." Fury held up his palm and showed them his mating mark, Fang choked beside him and Vane and Bride's mouths dropped open.

Fang grabbed his hand, while Vane muttered "holy shit!" before walking over to inspect it.

"Is she Katagaria?"

"Is she Arcadian?"

Fury grimaced, "She complicated."

"Complicated?" Vane repeated, both he and Fang exchanged cautious looks and Fury shrugged.

"She's, well, she's a goddess."

"A goddess?" Vane found himself parroting Fury again and gave himself a mental shake. Fury told them everything, from the time he first met her by the lake when they were both pups, to them coming in the shop and the strange reaction when they clasped hands to the night he dragged her off stage.

Once he had finished his story he was hoarse, his brothers was speechless and Bride was watching him with a stupid weepy expression on her face, and both hands pressed to her heart.

"Oh, man!" Fury muttered and she scowled at him.

"Daaamn," Fang muttered while Vane was obviously grappling for something to say, Fury just shrugged, as far as he was concerned he was one lucky son of a bitch and his mate, no offence Bride, was perfect.

"You've not completed the ritual yet?" Vane asked curiously and Fury hesitated and then shook his head, both his brothers again exchanged looks.

"Why?"

Fury was at a loss for something to say, where was his iron clad reason for not mating with her? She knew what he was, he knew what she was and it was obvious that they were hitting it off with one another …. Fury just shrugged.

"Guess I was just giving us a little extra breathing room before we permanently become attached to each other."

Vane and Fang nodded understanding, though they didn't understand, not really; not when he didn't really understand himself. Bride raised an unimpressed eyebrow which he chose to safely ignore.

"So how you going to explain to her?" Fang asked, his voice muffled from his fingers tugging his bottom lip, it was a habit he had developed from their nephew, Quinn.

"Explain what?"

"About Mum?" Fury racked his brains and came up with nothing.

"Well, I've told her about our parents if that's what your getting at."

"No, Fury," Vane interrupted cautiously before Fang could say another word. "What he's saying is have you told her that there's a danger of Dare coming after her, you know finishing off what mum started?"

Fury went cold, oh shit! He had completely forgotten about their Arcadian brother Dare. The Kattalakis brothers had found out on Vane's mating to Bride that their mother, Bryony, had made a pact with a demon to carry her forward in time from medieval England to wherever each of her Katagaria sons were and kidnap their mate. In her mind she was saving Bride from Katagaria scum that would force his will upon her, she never took into account that Bride had actually wanted to mate with Vane.

The pact had ended when Bride, funnily enough, had fought his mother and locked her in a cage and then Vane, God bless him had delivered the ultimate punishment by putting her and his father on an island together. The thought still made Fury chuckle. Bryony could no longer leap frog in time with the aid of the demon as the pact had been fulfilled, each one of Bryony's Katagaria son's had met their mates, they just didn't know it, according to Ash.

So there mother as out of their hair, but that didn't mean their psychotic litter mate Dare couldn't execute her final plans. And knowing the young Arcadian wolf's hatred of his Katagaria brothers he was likely to do so.

"Hey!" Vane shook Fury's shoulder, "don't freak out just yet. Like you said, she's a goddess, she can handle herself right?"

Fury nodded, but he was already off the counter and pacing, his mind to full of the sudden obstacle in his blindingly clear path. He knew it was just too easy for him, now it occurred to him why he hadn't yet completely mated with her, he was waiting for some really foul shit to hit the fan and it had in the form of his brother. Now the cosy image of his future with Charisma was smeared and the tension that had left him those last three days were seeping back into his shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

(This Chapter might not be what you expected and you might not like it but please let me know anyway, so I can try and improve them.)

When she and the other deities of her world, before being almost driven to extinction, had lived in their dimension the Gods had inhabited a place called Nealm. It was; Charisma supposed this dimensions equivalent of heaven. However Nealm was all things, when humans think of hell they look down towards their feet and the ground, when of God and good things towards the sky, but Nealm was everywhere in her world. It existed just beyond the veil of ignorance and scepticism that masked the human eye and mind, hidden by magic and power it was the haven of the Gods, there was a part of Nealm where the sinners went, and there was a part where the good went and then beyond all that was a place where the Gods lived in harmony. Demons were not tolerated, they were cast powerless in to the human world where they would die a human death, without soul and then cease to exist.

On coming to this dimension and with no thought to encroach on the turf of other Pantheons they used their powers, diminished as they were to create, Ildiar, that meant 'the place between'

Charisma nearly pouted when remembering her old home, she flashed herself to the identical replica of it, and stepped forward to meet the lasting members of her pantheon. She let her eyes trail across the gods, who were her blood brothers and sisters, and then towards their council and sighed, she had never liked the pretentiousness of godhood. Charisma had lived the first half of her life with her powers bound, thus being a mortal, it wasn't until she went through a painless but rather frightening conversion and was she given her godhood and brought into Nealm.

It was night in Ildiar and as always the council or what was left of it was convening in their new home. Like in Nealm they were standing on a huge, round, black onyx floor situated high upon a mountain summit, surrounded by a thick magical, impenetrable fog. Billows lingered in the openings of the twelve sparsely spaced pillars of wrought silver that circled the inner curve of the floor, holding up a domed marble ceiling carved to represent interlocking fingers of two hands.

The only difference between this council chamber and the one she had known was that the circle of hundreds of thrones had now dwindled down to fifty or so, and were now occupied not only by gods as they had once been, but by council members who had traditionally always stood in the circle of Gods and Goddesses.

Charisma moved forward, and took her seat in between her sisters Blaze, Goddess of healing and protection, and Nitia Goddess of wisdom and intellect. All the Gods and Goddesses were required to wear different variations of white robes, over the years it had been altered so many of the males wore simple white linen trousers and shirts with capes. The women a modest shift or dress, as long as it was the sacred colour of white when convening with the council.

Charisma nodded to Blaze and waited for Rage, her brother God of Storms and Oceans, to begin the meeting. Only instead it was Kiera who spoke.

"Why have we been summoned, Rage?" She spoke with such purpose that Charisma was shocked, Kiera and her twin Kiara were still very young and knew little of responsibility, they were often reprimanded for being too wayward. "As I understood it we were allowed to find whatever peace this world might hold for us. There were to be no more meetings." Kiera looked around at her sisters and brothers as if for their support, "there is no more Nealm, no more us."

"She is right, Rage," Pride said in a deep rumbling voice, "we were told never to gather again. The power we produce will bring out the Atribos. Our numbers are too weak to fight them now and it will centre the attention of the powers of this universe on us."

Charisma shivered. The Atribos were the ancient foe of the Veritinician's, evil and dark and very powerful they had insidiously destroyed the life source of the Gods. They had enslaved and killed the mortals, then they had let the world die. Charisma remembered with a lump in her throat as the height of summer had suddenly turned bitterly cold and at midday the moon rose in a poisonous looking purple that steadily turned black. It had been the beginning of the end, years of war and they had had to flee. While hurricane Katrina had ripped through the southern areas of the united states, she and her family or what was left took the opportunity to climb through a vortex they had opened, covered by the sheer ferocity of the storm. Charisma watched Blaze turn her face away with her eyes closing, wincing at the memories that assaulted them all.

"Its too late for that," Rage whispered, his dark eyes haunted, he looked as if he were having trouble talking, he swallowed thickly and gestured behind him for someone to move forward.

Into the light came a woman. Back in Nealm her appearance in the court would have provoked outrage and chaos, at this court, with the numbers so depleted and the people so weary there was merely an outbreak of whispers that sounded like small fires hissing. She was averagely tall and her skin very lightly tanned, her face was darkly attractive and on first glance there is nothing about this woman that would expose the power she held, the reputation she had and the pains she had suffered, some even Charisma herself did not know. One thing that made you turn you head however, was her ankle length hair. A dead straight sheet of thick, silky coffee coloured brown, it barely stirred in the breeze. She was slender yet at the same time voluptuous, her body changed if you stared at it too long, subtly as did the tone of skin, she was as terrifying to behold to Charisma as she was beautiful to her.

The woman gave a wry smile, dark amusement glittered in her smoke grey eyes, she stepped forward into the centre of the circle and Charisma could have cried for joy.

"Sabine," she whispered to herself, out of the corner of her eye she saw Bane step forward his face a mask of fury.

"What is she doing here?!" he demanded and stepped so close that he and Sabine were nose to nose, Sabine held up a hand and without touching him he began to step back. The court held their breath.

"Bane, sit down!" Rage said, rubbing a hand over his face. "She is the only reason we are alive," he gave Sabine a look Charisma had never seen before and wasn't sure what it meant, it was almost respectful. "We owe her our lives."

Pride and Bane snorted along with Nitia who had always hated Sabine, Sabine merely shrugged and let her eyes scan until it found Blaze. It was only then that her beautiful but cold face softened.

"I owe her nothing!" Nitia snarled.

"Actually sister dear," Sabine purred in her smoky voice, "You owe me everything, but I'm not a debt collector, so we'll just forget about it." Her icy smile vanished and her voice was now powerful and commanding. "Whatever you may think you know about the war is wrong, the Atribos suffered just as close to annihilation as we did. Their numbers have fallen just as low as ours maybe even lower on account of Bane's rather cunning little trick he left for them."

She inclined her head to Bane mockingly and he bared his teeth, this did not intimidate her at all and she carried on. Bane God of Plagues (among other things), had let loose ravaging diseases into the world before they had left, not only were some of the demons effected by them but the diseases infected the dead bodies of humans, spoiling the last species that could used for food and therefore leaving the Atribos with the only resort of turning to cannibalism.

"But they are trying to regroup as best they can and are scrying the world for traces of your family. They are on the hunt, they know that some of us got away and are now on the look out, as far as I know they are not aware of your escape into this universe. Yet. Guard yourselves well, they are being commanded by Cartha and he is out for blood."

Charisma heard a collective gasp go round the hall, Cartha was a demon of unrivalled strength and invincibility. Charisma stepped forward wanting to show her sister if she could how much she missed her. She allowed it to show in her eyes what she could not say openly in front of their brothers.

"You created this haven for us, you held open the escape route. You led me to a world where I have found happiness that I never dreamed was possible. I once again pledge you my eternal allegiance."

Charisma bowed to Sabine, she had never known anyone who struggled as much as her sister and still held so much honour.

Bane, Pride, Rage and Nitia who were nigh on the oldest of their family barely concealed their sneers but too bowed as a sign of loyalty; so did a few of the others. Charisma winced when Sabine held up a lazy yet graceful arm to show her inner wrist and forearm at eye level. It was a mark of rejection, a sign of disgracing another person, the four of them flashed themselves out of the court and so then did the council and Charisma moved to join Sabine.

Sabine held open motherly arms and she walked into them, breathing deeply in her sister's smell.

"I have missed you so," she murmured and pulled back to stare at her Sabine with damp eyes. Sabine's power surpassed them all and there to did her responsibility. Sabine raised a hand and brushed back a fair curl, Sabine's slender hands cupping Charisma's face, Charisma held a hand out behind her for Blaze, who was hand in hand with Kiera who was hugging Kiara who was being held by Odette; she linked them all. Their brother Fear stood back and watched with solemn, mysterious eyes.

"I must go," Sabine said, extracting herself from their arms she paused at Charisma. "Go to your wolf, sister. He is a bruised heart, but not dead one. Match his fury not with hurt and pride but with your own boundless love."

Charisma shivered at her words but knew better then to ask about them or question, she was forever enigmatic and a mystery. What could Sabine possibly know about Fury? She knew how their lives would be, what obstacles they would face; Charisma suddenly felt cold.

"Is it worth it?" she heard herself mutter and Sabine looked at her quizzically. "Is falling in love worth whatever I have to face, whether it be Fury or …" She trailed off when Sabine threw back her head and let out a low musical laugh.

"If you have to ask then you don't deserve it."

Then she vanished and Charisma turned to see the rest of her sisters staring wistfully after her, Charisma let out a determined breath and flashed herself back to earth.


	8. Chapter 8

_Charisma flashed herself to the forest Fury had taken her to where they had spent three days making love. Seeing Sabine and taking part in council proceedings once more was taking her back to times when she didn't have a life, when she was a Goddess, full of responsibility, her whole body sagged with the weight they had once again put on her. _

_She needed to see Fury. For just a few hours to escape. She needed … she needed - to run!_

_Charisma sped off suddenly as if she had been fired out of a cannon, her body fluid and graceful as she raced through the trees, relishing the wind tangling her hair, her feet slapping in the mud and have it fly high to cover her calves and speckle her face. Charisma took a huge boulder with a gigantic inhuman leap, she was like a jungle cat so agile and precise in her movements. She was tempted to change in to eagle form and fly over the mountains, but that didn't release the tension the way that running did. With four legs, heart and adrenaline pumping, lungs burning, nothing could compare, and the only thing you had to keep your mind on was dodging the trees and roots growing wildly from the ground. _

_Another obstacle barred her path, a fallen tree, thick and round, again that leap that was almost like flying took her over it and when she landed it was all four paws of her wolf form._

_The white bullet streaked with blurring speed through the dense dark bark, she jumped from heights even normal wolves would not dare, skidded sharply at dead ends and plunged into ice cold rivers, all in the pursuit of oblivion. _

_Only did she slow when she burst through the undergrowth so fast she didn't have time to register the cliff edge that she was speeding off of, Charisma skidded, her hind legs hanging over the top, pulling the rest of her body down. Her front paws scrapped at the dirt, sending it flying in all directions and howling her distress she was able to hoist herself back to safety, clamping her strong jaws around anything with the reach of her muzzle. Panting and thoroughly unsettled, Charisma staggered slightly away from the edge and back into the forest. Laying down on the outskirts of the trees to catch her breath Charisma allowed her eyes to take in the breathtaking surroundings, Fury had very limited magic and she had wondered vaguely, before he'd begun to distract her how he had managed to transport them here, it looked like they were somewhere perhaps in eastern Europe, away from towns and cities and the urbanisation of the western Europe, lost in the maze of the natural world. _

_She hadn't yet told him that they were, for want of a better word, mated in her people's way, Nor had Fury bothered to ask her to mate with him in the way of his people. She had been meaning to ask him to complete his ritual but she had truly forgot, perhaps it was because she was from a different race she didn't comprehend the sheer magnitude of the decision. Because Fury seemed to be giving it a hell of a lot of thought, well if he didn't hurry his furry ass up it would be his fault if he becomes - incapable._

_Charisma snorted a laugh and barely moved when she heard the light patter of paws trotting through the forest, she was too relaxed to be bothered to chase away any unwanted attention; if any animal came too near she'd burn the tip of their noses with a few nice sparks. But she was too happy and dreamy at the moment, in the forest where she had made love to a man/wolf she was rapidly falling for and had lost her virginity to, she had given this forest her protection and patronage. Forever more would the greenery grow lush and the trees strong, never will the animals want for food or shelter, this will be natures playground when all around them industrialisation was killing the hard work of her godly counterparts from this dimension._

"_Fury?" _

_Charisma raised her head at a breathy voice and looked at a young woman. She seemed to be around nineteen, tall and lean with a powerful athletic body slightly more toned then her own. Her long hair was full and shiny falling down her back in luscious waves of light brown. Well it seemed to be brown, but on closer inspection it was made up of all different colours, ash and red, blond and black, never had Charisma seen hair like that on anyone, perhaps maybe Sabine or Fear but they were Gods. Who the hell was this? _

_Mild curiosity gave way under blinding jealousy and indescribable hurt, she had said the name Fury, what was she to him? Was she an old lover? had he touched her the way he had touched Charisma? Tears threatened, but that pride, that innate pride that Sabine had warned her about on more then one occasion in her youth stopped them and had her flashing to human form._

_Standing up Charisma's brilliant emerald flashed dangerously as she eyed the beautiful woman._

"_Wrong guess, little girl," Charisma snapped and the woman backed up with a worried look that she quickly replaced with a sneer, but her trepidation was rife in the air. Charisma wasn't nude but she had dressed up for kicking this bitch's ass, she wore tight white shirts and a tight pink and white checked tank top, that was almost a corset. Her wild hair was tied up in a tight braid that wound round her head, she looked something of a supermodel come Viking shield maiden._

"_I thought you were someone else," the girl said, backing away a little further, it was then that Charisma noticed her scent - Arcadian wolf. Then she noticed her eyes. Fury's eyes, piercing blue and utterly beautiful. Yet her eyes were not full of the mistrust and shadows that filled that of her mate._

"_Who are you, little wolf girl?" Charisma asked, stepping closer tilting her head in a canine way, the girl mirrored the actions._

"_Why do you have my brother's scent on you?" she countered, although rather meekly, Charisma raised an eyebrow. Fury had told her that female wolves were just as ferocious as the males and that they were born fighters. This one didn't seem to fit Fury's check list. Charisma didn't scent a threat from her, and that made her kinder._

"_Fury told me his sister Anya was dead, her mate was killed after they had bonded and then she and her pups died in a diamon attack" she said with a smile and the girl's eyes widened, "come now, child. Tell a better lie then that."_

_The girl sputtered and choked, waving her hands. "No, no! I'm not Anya!"_

_Charisma raised an eyebrow, it was all she could do not to laugh, she wasn't used to being found this threatening unless in her animal form. And she'd liked the element of surprise it usually gave her attackers when they were floored by a rather skinny blond woman. But to be intimidating in this form, well .. It was something she could live with._

"_Who are you then, and don't lie to me," Charisma made her smile less cold and didn't step forward when the girl stepped back again, scaring people was great if you didn't feel bad about it. _

"_My name is Star. I am his sister, his human sister," she said, her eyes pleading. However the girl, Star, blanched when she saw Charisma's eyes snap fire. _

_So this was one part of the family that had hurt her mate so deeply? Charisma curled her lip in disgust._

"_You let your mother try to kill him and left him to die!" Charisma accused, while the frightened woman shook her head vigorously. "Why should I not kill you, in revenge for my mate?"_

"_His mate?" Star breathed, her eyes looked a little starry before she snapped out of it. "Listen, I had nothing to do with that. I knew nothing about it until centuries later, that's why I - well, I've run away."_

_Star looked down at her feet and shifted a little uncomfortably. _

"_I was going to try and find him but then things got in my way and to be honest I didn't think he would want to see me." She suddenly looked up into Charisma's eyes and they were full of tears. "How is he?"_

_Charisma considered her for a moment then sighed, her gentle heart moved by the younger woman's tears. _

"_He's well. I've only just met him … he's had a hard life, Star. None of the roads offered to him have been easy and he still has to cope with the betrayal he suffered at the hands of your family. He has progressed immensely but he still has trouble trusting people."_

_Like his mate, Charisma thought irritably, that was probably the reason he hadn't mated with her yet. Star's lower lip and chin trembled a bit but she sucked it up and put on a cheerful but wholly false smile and said brightly. "That's so good to know. He's obviously had some luck finding you as a mate, who defends him so loyally."_

_It was Charisma's turn to feel uncomfortable, she still even now after all she and Fury had shared had the nagging feeling that she had somehow forced this whole situation on him. And though he seems more then happy with it, she didn't feel right about even unintentionally taking his choices away from him. Mad but that's how she felt._

_Then there was the looming threat of the Atribos finding them and therefore finding and hurting Fury. She'd been a warrior in the war against them, she knew their weapons and strategy and she had confidence that Fury would be able to hold his on with them in a fight; her mate was a warrior if there ever was one, but … she didn't want him hurt, didn't want him to find out how badly she could screw up his life. Damn was she turning into Fear, he was the God of misery not her._

"_Where is he?" Star asked tentatively, jerking Charisma from her unhappy pondering, Charisma bit her lip._

"_He's safe."_

"_Your not going to tell me?"_

"_I don't trust you."_

_Star looked hurt by that, and Charisma saw something of Blaze in the young woman, she had been so sheltered for so long she was still too green to be left in the world on her own. Both women were too used to having their word taken as truth, without questions and taking the word of the people they had just met as gospel. Were both so unassuming and were convinced there was more good in the world and in people then there actually was._

"_I don't want to hurt him -" Star began._

"_And I don't want him hurt," Charisma countered, her tone sharp even while she was feeling sorry for Star. Star blew her hair out of her face irritably then fixed Charisma with a determined stare. _

"_I want to see my brother!" she sounded petulant, yeah, she really was a copy of Blaze. Charisma was surprised that she didn't stamp her foot. Charisma shrugged and wondered whether she was being to hard on her. _

"_Why did you think I was Fury?"_

"_You have his scent all over you. You reek of him in fact." She snapped, her eyes glinting angrily, then suddenly she just broke down. Falling to her knees with her face in her hands and her shoulders shaking with sobs, Charisma moved to stand before her and laid a gentle hand on Star's shoulder. The loud sobs instantly quietened and Star stared up at Charisma, her eyes confused and more then a little frightened._

"_Are you doing that?" Star murmured, her voice filled with awe and Charisma nodded, Blaze had taught her when they were both children how to comfort, to send waves of healing peace in to another person by something as simple as a touch. There was a strange feeling to it, it was like stroking coarse ruffled hair until it was flat and smooth again. Star got shakily to her feet and wiping her tears away with the cuffs of her pale blue sweater, she inhaled deeply, keeping her head bowed then looked up. Charisma was caught off guard by how lovely her eyes were and how similar they were to Fury's._

"_Your not Were, are you?" She whispered and Charisma hesitated for a second before shaking her head and Star nodded, pursing her lips. _

"_I do love my brother, you know," she whispered, fresh tears springing to her eyes, "I've always loved him, even when we were babies, I never wanted Dare always Fury. He had a natural kindness in him as a boy that Dare always lacked and he took care of me, shielded me and I loved him for it. When my mother ignored me and Dare teased me he would hold my hand and drag me down to the stream with him and practice howling." She gave a watery laugh and bit her lip, her eyes glazed with tears and memories. "I remember once my mother was in one of her moods and Dare was doing his own thing and Fury came to me when it was storming outside and he gave me a doll he had carved whittled himself from wood. It was really ugly. But I loved it and he stayed with me until I fell asleep."_

_Charisma had to blink rapidly to force her own eyes to stop watering, she felt sorrow for her mate and she felt sorrow for his sister, Charisma sighed._

"_Stay still," Charisma whispered and Star didn't question her but just became very quiet and unmoving, her face serene and calm, though her tears still ran. Charisma laid her hand on Star's heart and felt its beat, she let herself become one with the beat, she concentrated entirely on it and then felt her soul slip from her body. She became light and air and all things natural, and she saw a blindingly bright bead of light where Star stood. Charisma whizzed around it touching it, asking it questions, then she slide out again and swayed on the spot, Star breathed out shakily._

"_What did you do?" she asked but there was something in her that already knew._

"_I asked your soul for the truth," Charisma replied simply with a one shoulder shrug, clucking her tongue Charisma mulled over things for a moment. "You might find New Orleans interesting."_

_Star's brow creased for a moment before comprehension dawned on her face, she nodded and backed away, her expressive face showing all her emotions. She stopped just as she was about to turn and bowed to Charisma._

"_Thank you," she said, Star may not know for definite who Charisma was but the animal part of her recognised something wonderful and mysterious in her._

_Fury was thinking about what he was going to say to Charisma when he saw her, she lived in the French quarter in one of the buildings that had blissfully, miraculously escaped Katrina's wrath. He didn't fully understand why she was living there, when as a goddess he was pretty sure she could buy someplace in the Garden district that was much nicer. He had enough money but what was the point, he was a wolf, the alpha leader, why have a house when he was used to curling up on the floor in wolf form. _

_Shit! And that was another problem! What about Charisma? Once they mated, he was pretty sure he wouldn't want to live apart from her, damn it he didn't want to be apart from her now. How would he be the packs alpha if his mate was living in a house in the French quarter. Fury rubbed his eyes, just another thing to add to that big ole list of shit to do …_

_He rapped on the door of her home with his knuckles and waited, there was no sound of her coming to the door. Fury tried again, this time rapping hard enough for him to wince when his knuckles throbbed; still he didn't hear movement and he suddenly went cold. _

_Fury wrenched the handle that broke without him adding any great amount of force, he jerked it open and ran inside, heedless of any danger that might await him. Fury smelt the air and all he could catch was Charisma, her arousing scent and the forest, he followed it straight to the bedroom; where she lay on the floor._

_Fury's heart exploded in his chest as he shot to the floor beside her only to realise she was sleeping, all the strength and breath left him and he lay down beside her on his back. Staring up at the white ceiling taking deep, calming breaths, she groaned in her sleep and whimpered a little, Fury watched her face frown and she whimpered again. His heart beat faster. Was she dreaming of him?_

_Acting on instinct he pulled her into his arms and held her, liking the way her arms slid around him in her sleep and her fingers curled into his shirt. Was this love? Watching your woman sleep and unable to keep your gaze from her face? From running the pad of your thumb over the soft satin of her bottom lip? She shivered as if she were cold and Fury picked her up, noting for the first time she was spattered with mud, her lower half considerably more then her upper, yet there were speckles on her nose and cheek and some on the rise of her breast. _

_He lay her down on the sheets and she shivered again and muttered something, Fury became motionless in the act of prying off his boots. Not even his hair moved while he waited to hear her again, he wasn't sure how he would react if she called a mans name in her sleep, and he found himself unable to climb into the bed with her until she said it again and she did._

"_Fury." Her voice was like a plea and she curled up in a ball, goose bumps rising on her skin, in the region of his chest Fury felt his heart fold over on itself while something tickled the inside of his stomach. It was a stupid, female feeling but he couldn't deny it was there, and it pleased him. She had called for him in her sleep, wanted him in her dreams; that was more then anyone else had wanted him in his entire life. _

_He slipped into the bed beside her and pulled her quilt over them, the room was completely Charisma. In shades of leaf green and lemony sunlight, with vases of daisies on her dressing table and pictures of landscapes on the walls, figurines of wolves and horses, eagles and leopards. She surrounded herself with the domain that was no longer hers to control. Fury pulled her pliant body into his arms again and held her tight, feeling things that he had never felt before. Wanting things he had once thought impossible and seeing solutions to problems he once thought insurmountable. Dare and his hateful Vendetta, his mother and father, all of them could wait for now, Fury told himself, was the time to simply live for the moment. And to live for love. _

_Charisma opened her eyes to find Fury next to her in human form and she couldn't help a purely female smile spreading across her face. She leant up and laid her lips gently on his, he opened one eye._

"_I've been waiting for you to wake up," he muttered and Charisma leaned down to nibble his ear._

"_Is that so?" she said, delighted when he groaned. "why?"_

"_Because I'm up," he replied wickedly, with a naughty grin and Charisma looked down to see him naked and in a state of extreme arousal, though she was slightly shocked she merely laughed at him as if it were an everyday occurrence to wake up with a naked man in her bed._

"_Hmm," Charisma sighed slightly, nibbling on his lip, "well, you'll have to wait."_

_And she bounded off the bed before he could grab her and pin her there, she laughed as he pouted, looking utterly adorable. _

"_Where are you going?" he asked, his voice edging on sulky and Charisma didn't bother to hide her smile._

"_To shower."_

_Fury looked offended, "your passing a good -" she raised her eyebrow and he grinned, "a good 'conversation' to go shower?"_

_Charisma smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears, when she picked up a strand, staring at it confused Fury laughed sexily, stretching on the bed. _

"_Sorry, I unbound your hair while you were sleeping," he jumped form the bed to stand before her, he forked his fingers threw her hair to hold the bulk of it back from her face. "I like to feel it on my face and over my chest when we're sleeping together."_

_Something felt like it was obstructing her throat and Charisma just nodded and stood on tiptoes to press her lips to his cheek. She stepped back with an impish smile whilst her hands were busy undoing the buttons on her shorts, "I wonder if you'd like to have a good 'conversation' in the shower, with me?"_

_Fury threw back his head and howled before scooping her up in his arms and bundling the both of them into the bathroom._


	9. Chapter 9

_Fury helped her out of her clothes by pulling her shorts off of her in strips when she wasn't fast enough with the buttons on them, he heard her gasp and chuckle while her own hands stuttered over the fly of his jeans. _

"_What about my top?" she said, her voice deceptively innocent when he eyed her bare bottom half, licking his lips. Fury flicked his eyes up to Charisma's face and saw her gingerly tugging at the straps of her corset like top, it moulded to her form perfectly; concealing just enough to drive him crazy. "Its kind of tight."_

_Fury chuckled, "don't worry, love," he said before making quick work of the top and it was laying in shreds on the bathroom tiles before Charisma could blink._

"_You work fast," she acknowledged with a feral gleam in her eye, she licked her lips and Fury followed the action of her tongue with heated eyes. _

"_But_ _I play slow," he murmured and bent his head to lavish attention on her right breast, treating it to open mouthed kisses and long hard sucks, he was delighted to hear Charisma gasping and pulling at his head so he would kiss her mouth. _

_He kissed her thoroughly making a good job of it so when he pulled back she was in a stunned daze, he gave her a wicked grin and a light slap on her butt before turning around to turn on and regulate the shower. _

_Charisma bit her lip, he was fantastic, so fun and considerate, intelligent and affectionate and she thought with a sigh, all hers. Fury turned when he heard her sigh and raised a questioning eyebrow, Charisma gave him an innocent look that made him shake his head in confusion and grin. She raised her hand to rake gently through his hair, she trailed it down his back and let it rest on the waist band of his jeans, her fingers curling into it. Fury turned back to her forcing her to release her hold on him and he took her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs gently over her cheek bones and then lowered his head. She couldn't remember being kissed like this. Ever. It was lingering and tender, holding her to him just longer then normal so that with the desire rising so did the love she felt for him, it was good enough to bring a lump to her throat. _

_Fury pulled back reluctantly but she held him close, her hand clutching his shoulders, her eyes devouring his, he was about to ask her what she was doing when she slid both hands down his chest. They moved in sync like a rhythmic dance over his heart, slowly before his eyes small balls of light began to dance about her fingers; clinging to her skin until it looked as if she were wearing a glove made of sunbeams. She applied pressure to his chest and lowered her head to kiss his heart, then leant up to gently, chastely kiss his forehead. It felt like a warm summer breeze floated through his insides, not touching or disturbing his skin but everything under it. _

"_What was that?"_

_Charisma smiled and brushed his hair from his eyes. How could she tell him that even without a ceremony, she had given him the highest blessing she could give him as the Goddess of nature and the wild. _

"_I gave you my blessing. My promise that even if we are apart you will always have my allegiance and loyalty, should enemies come I would fight them for you, I would protect you and all that you claim is yours. I wish to live my life with you." __And see out my death with you, _she added silently as her heart picked up when his eyes deepened to a whole new blue.

He was broken before her, all he had ever done to protect himself from ever being hurt by another person had failed in the face of her kindness. He loved her, it was powerful and all-consuming and so sublime. Never had anything so valuable and wholesome touched his life, it made him want to weep and it made him want to rejoice, divine as she was, she had lowered herself to something as insignificant as he. She belonged with the stars and yet here she was as far away from castles in the air as she could possibly be and she had brought heaven with her, to him.

Fury smiled at her and softly trailed his fingers over her cheek, "Thank you, Charisma, it means more to me then you could possibly know." He clasped her hand and brought it to his lips placing a delicate kiss on her knuckles, then his smile turned to a devilish grin before he scooped her in to his arms and deposited her under the beating spray of the shower.

"How did you get so much mud on you?" He asked stepping in behind her and whipping the curtain around them.

Charisma hesitated with her mouth open slightly thinking to tell him about meeting his sister but decided not to, she had cleaned any scent Star had left behind from herself, she didn't want to keep secrets from him, but wasn't too sure how he'd react.

"I … I went for a run."

"Where?" he asked casually, running his hands over her hair that soaked became so much longer, her drenched curls extended all the way to the curve of her buttocks. Charisma smiled to herself before plucking one of her body washes from the shelf beside the shower head.

"In our forest," she said, before spinning round and squirting some in her palm and lathering it into Fury's chest hair. Fury chuckled to himself, warmed by the phrase 'our forest' until he caught the scent of lavender and camomile.

"That's girls stuff!" he cried, trying to rinse it from him, Charisma just laughed and began to lather even more.

"Its relaxing. Don't you believe in aromatherapy?"

"Not when it smells like a florist, no. Though I do like its smell on you."

Before she could protest, Fury wiped another bottle from the shelf, jasmine and rice milk, he lathered the creamy liquid in his hands and turned her so she was facing away from him.

"Where were you today?" Charisma asked, Fury took a minute to answer while his hands and mind were busy on the soaping of her back and bottom.

"I, err, I went to see Vane and Fang at Bride's store," he said, his hands coming up to do a massage to her shoulders and nape of her neck. "Bride gave me a bit of a roasting about not calling for three days. How did your family take it?"

"Oh, they were fine. They could find me if they really needed me," Charisma muttered arching into his hands, "mmm! Anyway, did you tell them you were mated?"

"Yeah, they said congrats," Fury continued to massage her though he was frowning slightly, how was he going to tell her about Dare? "Listen -"

"Are you and Vane close now?"

Fury was jolted of course by the sudden change of topic, he thought for a moment, his hands slipping under arms to cup her breasts in his hands while grinding slightly on her bottom.

"I guess - I don't know really. Probably not. He and Fang have been with each other since they were cubs so they're close. They only found out about me three years ago."

"But they accept you don't they?"

Fury wasn't sure where this questioning was going and instinctively began withdrawing, he caught himself just in time before he removed his hands from her, he trusted her, he wouldn't mate with her unless he trusted her. He would not be his father.

"Yeah, they accept me. Its not always them, its more me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Fury kissed her shoulder and trailed his hand slowly downwards and heard her sharp intake of breath. "After my mother and Dare, I was alone for so long and then when I was with people I stepped back altogether. No one can betray you if they don't know your weaknesses, right? No one can hurt you so much that it feels like your bleeding from the inside out if you don't give them the ammo. I can't trust people easily."

"Do you trust me?" Fury knew she was holding her breath, he allowed his hand to slide between her legs.

"Yes," he breathed and closed his eyes and leant his head on her hair. They stood like that for a moment, with the water cascading down around them, his hand cupping her intimately but not moving almost afraid to, her tears falling but unseen.

"Do you trust Vane and Fang?" Charisma asked, she was surprised at how normal she was able to keep her voice, when her heart was so full of joy.

"I guess so. Even before I let them know we were brothers I always respected them, we were more or less in the same boat. None of our parents wanted us, the pack tried to turn all of us into omega wolves and none of us would let them. It was easier for me to grow accustomed to them, to trust them because they never did anything to really turn my judgement against them."

"Even if they had would you not have put that aside?" Charisma asked and her last words ended in a gasp as Fury moved his finger and rubbed her most sensitive spot, he trailed kisses over hair to her small shell like ear and tugged on it with his teeth.

"No, not necessarily. Once my good opinion of someone is damaged it is irreparable . Once my trust is betrayed it will be last time it will ever happen. A person can leave, walk out a door that will open for you to leave at anytime, but don't expect it to be open and waiting for you to just waltz right back in again."

Even as ripples of ecstasy coursed through her Charisma was aware of a tightening of her chest that she recognised as fear and a peculiar feeling in her stomach that she knew to be guilt. She knew how he had been betrayed and yet she assumed to know him so well that she let his sister know where to find him. She had to tell him. Charisma cried out under the shattering administrations of his clever fingers and leaned back against him panting and weak, Fury wrapped his arms around her tight, tighter until she was crushed to his chest. He never wanted to let her go. She turned her head so that her forehead rested against his chin, so close her face was distorted and her smell clouding him, his heart was hammering fit to burst.

"I don't give my heart freely, Charisma," Fury whispered raggedly, "it is a hard heart, torn and not so pure as your own but it is yours. Solely, completely yours. I want you to be my mate."

Charisma gasped, his words were as painful as they were beautiful, she had waited so long for him. She couldn't lose him. What she was about to do was deceptive, duplicitous and completely beneath her but she would not let him escape her, how could she?

Charisma blanked out the ominous feelings and focused on the man holding her, laying limply against his chest as he scooped her up and walked with her from the shower to the bedroom.

He lay her among the crumpled sheets and curved pillows and stood back to gaze down at her, his gaze heating her blood and causing her body to react to it as if it were a physical touch. Fury knelt on the bed, his own body supporting a hard erection, it was almost painful, she reached out to touch him and he hissed and jerked in her hand.

Fury blanketed her body with his own and slid his hand down to test her readiness, she was wet and welcoming and he shifted his body so he could slide inside her, they moaned in unison. The natural scented candles scattered on surfaces in her bedroom flickered to life and witnessed love in its making.

"It feels like so long since -" Charisma began to say but Fury stopped her by sliding out leaving an aching hollow and thrusting back in setting a blaze to her body.

"I know, love. I know," he growled low and buried his face against her neck and Charisma wrapped her long legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders.

Fury rolled on to his back still inside her and looked up at her awash with golden candlelight that danced off the bead of water and made her hair glow, still damp from their shower. The world shifted just long enough for him to realise that he was done for, the sun rose and set with the woman straddling him, it was only right then that he tell her so.

"Charisma, I love you."

Her hips stopped their pleasurable torture and her mouth opened slightly in surprise, of all the things … she didn't think she would hear him say that. His voice so gravely and thick with emotion and his eyes unconsciously pleading with her to feel the same way. And she did, oh she did, more so then either them could ever have expected. She had seen first hand that he wasn't one to give love freely but he'd thrown his soul out in the open and it now awaited the firing squad that would shot holes through it. But she didn't, if anything she made it whole again.

"Oh, I love you too. I think I've known I was meant to love you since that day by the river."

Fury closed his eyes holding back the sudden need to release himself deep inside her, unable to find words eloquent enough to express himself, he gave himself to her the only way he knew how. He picked up her marked palm and pressed his own to hers, he laced their fingers.

"Repeat after me," he whispered and she nodded, "I accept you as you are."

"I accept you as you are," she dutifully repeated.

"I will always hold you close in my heart."

"I will always hold you close in my heart," she leaned down and pressed her lips above said heart.

"I will walk beside you forever."

Her eyes flickered, deepened and her smile dawned. "I will walk beside you forever."

Fury repeated it back to her rather breathlessly as she had begun to ride him again, as soon as he had finished his back arched as if in pain and his incisors grew into fangs. Charisma knew what this was, it was the _thiro, _the bonding instinct that comes after completing the mating ritual. It wasn't necessary and could be done at a later date but it was a unbreakable promise to each other, if one should die so should the other, to follow their mate to next world and be reborn into the next life so they could have a chance of finding each other again. Unbreakable and eternal. Everything she wanted with Fury, but he did not move to bite her neck as required and though it hurt her deeply part of her was also relived. She wasn't sure why.

Charisma's body bowed and she rocked her hips until neither one of them could think straight, taking them both to the edge and with a cry wrenched from her soul, tumbled them over.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Charisma's voice slide through the darkness to his ears, he was so content and comfortable that he made an indistinct noise of agreement and snuggled closer. Charisma worried her bottom lip and shook Fury's shoulder to snap him out of his stupor.

"Alright, alright," he said sleepily and giving a husky laugh leant up on his elbow to stare at Charisma, his mate.

"I need to tell you something," she began again and it was then that Fury's brain snapped to attention - Dare - Charisma - he had to tell her!

"There's something I need to tell you to," he said, his mouth suddenly dry, "But you go first."

Charisma nodded and managed a weak smile.

"When I was in the forest' - she paused - 'our forest. I saw someone while I was in wolf form."

Fury was alert now, he clutched her arm. "Did they do anything to you? Did they hurt you?" His voice was urgent and worried, "this is important, Charisma. Who were they? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm telling you now," she replied patiently. "Anyway the person came up to me and I was going to attack her because she said your name. I thought maybe she was someone from your past," a deep blush crept up her skin and if Fury couldn't help being pleased at the possessiveness she felt over him. "Then we began talking and she. She told me -"

Charisma felt her heart pounding so hard it was making her feel sick, she could almost see how he was going to react to this. "She told me she was your sister."

For a moment Fury looked confused, then all emotion fled his face and he was a mask, he sat up and looked down at her.

"I told you my sister Anya was dead."

"She didn't say she was Anya," Charisma whispered, her beautiful eyes wide and concerned. "She said her name was Star. I remember you telling me about that side of your family and I nearly attacked her again, but -"

"But what?" Fury growled, a sense of dread growing within him.

"But we talked instead and she said she had run away and I know she was telling the truth and she said she wanted to see you," Charisma continued in a rush seeing the anger on his face increasing, his brow furrowing and his teeth bared. "I knew you wouldn't want to see them, but Fury if you had been there, she was so alone and she didn't know what to do and she is too young to really survive by herself. She's like my sister Blaze, they've lived such a sheltered life that they have no concept of what the real world is like. Fury she needs her family around her. She needs you, Fury!"

"What are you telling me!"

Charisma bit her lip and exhaled slowly.

"She asked if she could see you. At first I said nothing but I know she had no intention of hurting you so I told her to come to New Orleans -"

Fury gave a curse and with a furious growl jumped from the bed.

"Fury! Look, don't be mad! She was telling the truth, she didn't know anything about what your mother did to you!"

"And how would you know!" Fury spat back and Charisma snarled at him.

"As a goddess my power do reach beyond a mere shifting from animal form to human -"

"Well, great for you your godliness," Fury growled, "but while you were so sure she is telling the truth, you never considered that her brother, Dare, who by the way is one of the best trackers in their tressa will be able to track his sister. And if she comes to New Orleans looking for me, she doesn't just find me, does she! She finds my pack and more importantly then that, she finds Vane, Bride, Quinn and Fang!"

Charisma bit her lip, okay so she hadn't thought of that. Damn, how could she be so stupid!

"Your right I didn't think of that," she admitted in a defeated voice and Fury merely curled his lip at her. His outward appearance of livid anger only hid the hurt that she would hide something like this from him and - Fury's anger rocketed.

"You bitch! You waited until I asked you to mate with me to tell me this! Didn't you?"

Unable to lie to him she nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, she scrambled up, clutching the sheet around her.

"I know it was wrong of me but I only thought of you while I was doing it! She said she wanted to see her brother again -"

Fury interrupted her with a mirthless laugh and when he spoke again his voice shaking with what was mistaken for anger was really deep seated hurt. Hurt at being used the way he felt she had used him, how underhanded her way of dealing with this was. Letting him mate with her before dropping a bombshell. He guessed this was way human men felt when women who were meant to be on the pill suddenly came to them pregnant because they had deliberately skipped it so they could tie the men to them. But shit! This was a hell of a lot worse.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might not be ready to see her?"

Charisma opened her mouth but could think of nothing to say so she closed it.

"Hmm? It didn't, did it? Shit!"

Fury cursed and run his hands through his hair, Charisma who was standing sat down on the bed her shoulders sagging. She felt worse then she had ever felt in her life, she hurt because of his words and she hurt because her actions had wounded him. She had always prided herself on being honest and truthful, of not being manipulative and playing with people's lives the way gods tend to do. And like a hypocrite, the first opportunity and she had done just that. At that moment she loathed and despised herself more then anything else in the world.

"What now?" she asked her voice hollow and loud in the suddenly quiet room, she kept her head down and her eyes averted so Fury would not se silent and slow tears that fell on her cheek farthest from his view. Discreetly as though she were scratching her temple she wiped her tears away.

For more years then he cared to remember his survival had depended on his observant nature and vigilance, the action of wiping her eyes was subtle but not enough, he saw it and it was wrecking him. He was angry at her and hurt and confused and part of him wasn't sure if he was over reacting, but he felt stupid and played.

He hated the new found knowledge that she could do anything and he would still love her, hated the knowledge that she could wound him more deeply now then any person in his lifetime and at the first opportunity, intentional or not, she had done so.

What a fool he was!

"I don't know what now," Fury said shakily, feeling his eyes sting and his throat became tight. "But I have to go now. I'll come and see you in a day or to and we'll talk but I can't be near you right now."

He saw her inhale deeply and nod with a look of concentration on her face, like she agreed with him.

"Well its for the best," Charisma said, still she could not turn and meet his eyes or look at his face, she was struggling not to cry or beg. She didn't realise a heart could feel this much guilt and pain, of all the people she had lost in the war and all the battles she had fought, this was the hardest one. Restraining herself from chasing him up the street and throwing herself at his feet, but pride kept her spine straight and her eyes as dry as it was possible. She cleared her throat mostly to try and get past the lump in it and to give herself thinking time.

Only when he was fully dressed and at her bedroom door (she was sure if he could do adequate magic he would have been out of there faster) did she turn her eyes to his broad back.

"I am sorry, Fury," she said and she meant it, desperately. "I know its not enough by far and it won't make it better but for what its worth I am so sorry ."

She wanted to tell him she loved him to but she didn't know how he would take it and if she could do it without crying, so she let him go and even when the door slammed shut she didn't cry. Charisma curled up in a ball and wished for the next best thing to having her mother back, she wished for Sabine. Her only comfort when the world was breaking, she could now be her only comfort when her heart was.


	10. Chapter 10

Charisma lay passively under her quilt, she was sure that if a whole tribe of Atribos came storming in her room ready to kill her she couldn't muster the strength of the will even to fight back. Fury leaving had drained her of everything. She didn't know what date or time it was and she no longer cared, all that mattered was that she had lost something that she could never get back, something so real it could not be conjured by magic or mischief, no power in the world could capture it or hold it by force. She had lost so much.

Trust, delicate and essential and love, strong and eternal that had been so elusive through all these many years she had lived, she had found it. She had destroyed it.

"Charisma!"

Charisma didn't fold back the duvet to look at Kiara and Blaze crowding the bedroom door, she closed her eyes tight and wished for them to leave, she almost managed it but her powers and strength depleted by her lack of enthusiasm for once allowed the girls combined to be stronger and though their forms wavered a little, they managed to stay where they were.

"What do you want?" Charisma groaned, not caring.

"The vortex has opened."

It was Blaze's voice and Charisma sat bolt up right in bed. "What?" she whispered in disbelief, Blaze nodded her face a picture of fright she was visibly shaking.

"The vortex opened last night over in the middle east, right in the middle of a battle field. Took out American and Iraqi alike," Kiara paused and took a breath, her face was milky white, a shade paler then the silver of the moon. She was terrified but pressed her lips together firmly. "The Atribos have sent through their assassins, Cartha isn't strong enough to come through yet, he knows Sabine fights for us this time. But they've sent through at least a hundred, maybe a few less. Charisma, we're at war again."

Charisma flashed herself to their side, already kitted out in her battle attire, "lets go," she said steadily, then flashed herself to Ildiar.

Fury watched the shadows move across curtained windows of Charisma's apartment, he saw the outline of three women standing, which he was happy about because he would not tolerate a man near her no matter what mood he was in.

It was simply instinct that he was unable to leave his mate, so he watched from afar, angry at himself, angry at her, he kicked out at the wall in front of him but only succeeded in adding a physical pain to go with all the others.

His thoughts were swirling in his mind, he needed to sort them out, he needed to think ….

Damn it! He thought spinning on his heel and making his way towards Vane's house where he intended to stay the night, then remembered he had to go to his pack, who were already pissed that he had left for three nights. He let loose a howl and flashed himself to his pack just as Charisma flashed herself to Ildiar.

Charisma wore a long white dress this time with bell sleeves made of white lace her hair was down around her face, all around her they wore white, even Sabine for once upheld a rule she regularly broke. They stood at their seats for a moment, while Sabine stood in the centre, then sat and she began to speak in a low hypnotic tone, too beautiful to be ignored.

"The Atribos have found you, they are now in this world and looking for you," Sabine stated, her tone itself was quite emotionless.

"We must run!" Celeste cried, she turned her terrified eyes on her husband Leo, who held her hand tightly. "We aren't yet strong enough to do battle and win!' - she turned her eyes imploringly on Rage - 'please for my children, we must run!"

"Your not the only one with children, Celeste!" Pride spat and he leant forward resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, he spoke through his fingers. "What can we do?"

"Do you plan to run?" Sabine asked with a dark smile though it showed no real amusement, Bane and Rage both growled at her.

"You dare to insinuate us as being cowards!" Bane roared, "You know nothing of what we have suffered! You know nothing -"

Sabine turned her eyes upon him and for once there was no cold indifference, no wry amusement or sardonic laughter but pure hot venom, Bane's voice faltered and he took a step back as a slight wind picked up and the ends of Sabine's long hair began to twist themselves in to tight curls.

"Sabine!" Rage barked and the wind died instantly, her form wavered. "No, don't leave us!"

Rage's voice was for the first time panicked, he reached out a hand though he was too far away to touch her, not that he could not stop her even if he were close enough. "We need you!"

Sabine solidified and rubbed her hands over her face, her hair once more straight as rain.

"You need to fight," she spoke softly, but all heard and all wished they hadn't.

"I suppose it is an easy thing to say for one such as you!" Nitia sneered and Sabine just gave a hollow laugh.

"Doing the right thing is never easy, you of all would not know that! For you, Nitia, have never done the right or honourable thing," Sabine's voice though even and having no real heat rocked everyone around, her words were impossible not to hear and it made a few of them cringe. "None of you have ever done the right thing' - she looked at them all in turn, though her eyes lingered more on the guilty - "In our time and in our world our God's and Goddesses are born into the body of humans, are forced to live as humans to teach them humility, to teach them compassion, to teach them responsibility!"

Sabine flicked off a finger as she listed the lessons, her voice gathering volume, it was relentless and it pushed down on them like bricks on their conscience.

"So you know how to judge right from wrong and act on it instead of selfish desires! You have the power to protect and the power to destroy, your decisions and actions have cosmic effects. If you leave and run thousands of innocents will die as the Atribos lay waste to the earth in search of you. If you do not act upon what you have been taught, on those lessons so deeply ingrained in you from your human childhoods then you are no better then the Atribos that thrive on destruction and live for desire and power!"

Her speech ended leaving a ringing silence around the hall, Sabine was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed with her passion. No one spoke, no one wanted to be the first to voice what they knew must happen, had Sabine not been here the rest of the Gods and Goddesses save a few may have been able to pack up and flee but Sabine was like a mirror forcing them to see themselves and all their faults, it was one of the reasons she was so hated.

"Choose then," Sabine whispered, "You have a day."

And she spun around and began to walk into the mist beyond the council hall, Charisma followed her.

The mist was thick but easy enough to see through as a God, she cut through it and followed her sister's path until she found her looking out on to a clear landscape, with rolling hills, snow capped mountains and purple moors that moved restlessly under the frantic play of the shooting stars.

"Will you stay if they run?" Charisma asked knowing the answer already but wanting to hear Sabine voice it.

"Yes. I won't see innocents die simply because your family are too cowardly and weak!" Sabine was rarely outwardly angry, she tended to show her emotions through her turbulent powers but never in her voice or face.

"Your family too, Sabine," Charisma reminded her quietly.

"Ha!" she huffed out a sardonic laugh, "they stopped being my family a long time ago. You are my family," she sent Charisma a warm look. "You and Blaze, Kiara and Keira and Odette and even Celeste when she isn't so wrapped up in trying to be 'human'."

Charisma grinned, their sister Celeste had been on a quest since she had reached her godhood to live as human a life as possible and shunned her sisters to achieve this, though when needed she rose to the occasion wonderfully.

Sabine breathed in the cold night air, then exhaled with her eyes closed, her features were once more serene and her mood and therefore her powers balanced. She turned to Charisma and her eyes were glowing green, Charisma raised an eyebrow.

"Showing off again, sister?" she teased and Sabine let her eyes fade back to grey before she shrugged and tucked her arm into Charisma's, they began to walk. Through the years of war with the Atribos, her brothers and sisters had been forced to accept Sabine, her knowledge and power was one of the only things that were holding Cartha and the rest of his rebel army back. Charisma had always been her second in command, Sabine had not accepted anyone else, it was a show of loyalty that Charisma had never forgotten.

"You've argued with your wolf, Teva." Charisma smiled at one of the pet names Sabine had given her as a child, it meant nature. Then she grumbled.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know everything. I'd rather you tell me then have me flaunt my wisdom again," Sabine said pointedly.

"Wisdom my ass, your just nosy," she muttered but proceeded to tell Sabine everything, it felt like she was reciting some Greek tragedy as she explained about Fury's deep mistrust of anyone and how she had unintentionally abused said trust when it had been so cautiously given.

When she stopped she looked to Sabine for answers, wanting comfort and solutions, Sabine looked pensive for a moment and then shrugged nonchalantly.

"He'll come around."

"That's it?" Charisma said incredulously, "that's all your going to say?"

"What else can I say? I mean right now we have a war on our backdoor and we have to hide Blaze because she's too young to fight -"

"She won't like that," Charisma remarked sullenly.

"And your pregnant so really haven't got time to coddle him at the moment."

Charisma whipped her head around so fast to look at Sabine her neck cricked, she massaged it while eyeing her sister with a dark frown furrowing her brow.

"I hope your joking!" she growled, her face suddenly very reminiscent of the wolf of whom she regularly changed into and was incidentally, ironically her favourite animal.

"I don't have a sense of humour. According to Kiara," she added and then gave Charisma a grin.

"Your going to be a mummy," there was something almost wistful in her eyes and voice and if Charisma had not been feeling shock waves go through her which radiated throughout Ildiar, she would have seen it.

"No, no, no!" she muttered her head in her hands. "This can't be happening to me!"

She continued to shake her head and it was only when Sabine, her voice gentle and genuinely amused asked, "is it so bad?"

Did Charisma look up and having no other course of action in mind laughed, what else could she possibly do as under shock and terror was a blossoming feeling of joy and hope. She laughed until tears rolled from her eyes. Sabine simply slung a arm around her shoulders and led her away from the cliff's edge and to steps that led up to a bedroom, that looked more like a majestic conservatory. Its pillars were made of pure gold encrusted with rubies, it was flashy and gaudy to Charisma's eye but it had a bed so she looked past that.

The bed was huge and circular and feather soft, Sabine guided a shell shocked, half laughing half hiccupping Charisma on to it.

"I think it's best if I stay here until we finish business," Charisma informed her sister decisively. "I'm not sure how he would react if I told him and I'm not sure how I'd react if I saw him, so all in all its probably best. Not that he's wanting to see me anytime soon."

"What fools these immortals be," Sabine sighed softly and shook her head whilst she gently smoothed blond locks back from Charisma's forehead. "Be ready to fight, Charisma."

And with that she left.

Charisma lay down upon the bed with her hand resting on her stomach, dreaming simple dreams that always ended with the Atribos hurting the people she loved.


	11. Chapter 11

"_What is wrong with you!"_

_Vane rounded on Fury as soon as Bride walked out of their kitchen and in to the back yard, Fury looked up shocked by the sudden outburst and a piece of turkey fell from his mouth as he sputtered indignantly._

"_What the hell have I done?" he shot back immediately and was instantly on his feet, readying for a fight. _

"_You've been pissy all day!" Vane closed his eyes as if praying for patience then fixed Fury with a gimlet stare. "Why aren't you with your mate?"_

"_What are you my fucking mother?" Fury growled back belligerently, Vane come back at once._

"_No that bitch is on an island somewhere kicking the shit out of your father. I'm your older fucking brother and I asked you a question!"_

_Fury's lips twitched but he refused to even smile. "Why don't you go and join them since your so keen to be nanny to someone!"_

_Before Vane could come back with something else, Fang strolled in whistling; it was surprising to see Fang in human form but Vane was glad of the interruption. Fury was the family wise guy and when getting into sparring matches with him Vane usually came out on the losing end._

_Fang paused with his head in the fridge and looked back at Fury. "Why aren't you with your mate?"_

_Throwing up his hands Fury cried out, "Someone hold him down I'm going to force feed him chocolate!"_

_Fang looked bemused, "is he okay?"_

_Vane shrugged and sat back down on his bar stool and stared out the window at his wife, his gaze misted over and Fury not liking that his thoughts turned immediately to Charisma, curled his lip in disgust._

_Bride came back inside and moved around Fury and towards the fridge giving Fang a gentle shove out the way._

"_You want me to cook you something, Fang?"_

"_I'll be your slave if you do." Bride laughed and suddenly in the middle of pulling containers from the fridge she froze and turned to Fury._

"_I thought you were going to invite Charisma to lunch with us?"_

_Fury rubbed his hands over his face, pressing his fingertips hard into his eyes until he could see dark colour swirling under his lids. He missed Charisma so much it was like having a constant tooth ache, he wasn't even angry at her anymore, in fact he had sought her out preparing to beg forgiveness on bended knee (not, he reminded himself he had anything to feel bad about). Then he had found a note in her apartment that wasn't addressed to him but he was sure it was meant for him either way._

'I've gone to stay with my sister. I'll be back soon.'

_It had been like a knife to the gut. Had he lost her? Did she hate him? Did he always have to act first and think later? And what of Dare, had he found her yet? Was Star in league with him? So many thoughts in his mind that he had a permanent headache, he hadn't slept for fear and worry for her; if only he could just see her, just touch her. Then things would be alright. _

_The doorbell rang and Fury muttered that he would get it._

"_Don't bother," Bride said, her expression concerned and she raised her voice to call to the guest, "doors open!"_

_Fury was preparing to use the sudden uninvited guest as an excuse to make his leave but as he edged towards the door leading out into the hallway, it was filled by a pretty young woman. Fury outwardly froze, the only reaction he displayed was a hardening to his jaw, inside however disbelief and astonishment rushed through him, almost making him sway. _

_She had grown up in the centuries they had been apart, her hair that as a youth had always been cut boyishly short now fell to the centre of her back, she had pulled the front back and secured it with delicate jewelled combs. She had Vane's colour hair, taking after the darker paternal side of their family, while Fury and his deceased sister Anya had taken after their mother with fair hair. Her eyes were a reflection of his own, a piercing blue that seemed quite unnatural because they were so beautiful, Star's eyes at that moment were wide with hope and happiness at seeing her brother again, she was standing in the presence of two brothers she had never met before yet her eyes could not move past them until Fury gave his consent to her being there, and at that moment he wasn't saying a word._

"_Do you - do you remember me?" she asked tentatively, her voice full with her heart, she moved a cautious step closer, her jeans were loose and baggy with rough tears in the knee; the hem of them dragging across Bride's tiled kitchen floor, so long they only exposed the toe of her sneakers. Her black tank top was stretched tight over generous bumps that hadn't been there when Fury had known her and in spite of himself a mixture of brotherly bashfulness and a need to protect her from male eyes swirled inside him. _

_Fury wasn't sure how long he stood there, silent and staring, still Star's eyes had not left his, she had swept into the house bringing with her the smell of fresh pine and the wild, it turned his thoughts to Charisma. _

_Gods, he was a fool! She hadn't betrayed him, she had given him back one of the only people in his life he had loved purely and completely, without expecting anything back. Fury moved forward swiftly and he saw Star tense as if she expected an attack and she was right. Fury yanked her forward into his arms and crushed her to him, she immediately yielded to his embrace and snuggled closer, burrowing her face into his shirt and soaking it with her tears._

"_How - why - why are you here?" he managed to get out while trying to console her, he dropped a kiss atop her head and rocked her in his arms, the way he had done as a little boy. She didn't answer only sobbed harder and gripped the back of his shirt tighter, her body shook with her intense weeping. He hadn't seen her cry like this since he and Dare had hidden in the dark outside her room and scared her so badly she couldn't sleep, he had spent all night calming her down and promising himself he'd never do it again. _

"_shush now," he crooned soothingly to her as if she were four again, "hey now, stop crying or you'll make yourself sick. Hey now, come on, its alright, its okay."_

_Finally she began to quieten and she drew her head up from out of his arms, her own still clamped around his waist._

"_I'm sorry, Fury," she snivelled, "I never knew! I swear, they kept me away from court and Dare and mother and grandfather told me you'd been captured and killed by Katagaria!"_

"_How did you find out it wasn't true?" Fury asked, guiding her to a stool and sitting her down, Bride handed him a clean kitchen towel and wiped his sister's tears._

"_so that's his mate?" Fang whispered almost to himself, Vane turned to give him an exasperated look before turning back to watch his brother and, he realised with a jolt of surprise, his sister._

"_There was this wolf that Dare wanted me to sleep with ," she explained bitterly, Fury growled dangerously. "When mother left' - Vane shifted guiltily - 'he took charge and he wanted me to mate with one of the most prominent wolf families to see if we could keep producing the Aristos. This wolf, he calls himself Wrath, he was so mean and horrible! I hated him! And I rejected him in front of the pack when he tried to come on to me, I embarrassed him - I know now it was stupid - but I hated him, Fury!"_

_Fury ran a placating hand down her hair, "you did good, little wolf chickie. Now tell me what happened, did he hurt you?"_

_The danger in Fury's eyes made Star shake her head furiously, her eyes wide in earnest and to all looking on it made her look like a little girl. "No. I left the hall and was walking in the gardens when he came out and cornered me… I bit him so hard his face was bleeding' - Fury smirked approvingly - 'and I told him that if you, my brother Fury had been there you would have ripped him apart for even looking at me. And he laughed and told me what you were," Star paused. "What you are. And what mother and Dare did to you."_

_Fury nodded, rage coursing through him at the treatment of his sister, even as a child Dare had been malicious but he would never have supposed he would have treated his own sister like that. Star wiped her tears away and tilted her head back to stare up at him, for the first time since she had stepped into the house, she smiled. Fury ruffled her hair like she was a little boy, "so now you know I'm Katagaria and not Arcadian, does it bother you?"_

_Star laughed, a musical carefree laugh and shook her head. "My mate is Katagaria."_

_Fury sputtered, this he hadn't been prepared for. "Your mated!" he was almost indignant. Star raised an amused eyebrow and jerked a shoulder, she blushed prettily. "I met him after I ran away from home, he's so wonderful, Fury. I swear you will love him!"_

_Fury grumbled that he doubted it but then remembered the rest of his family behind him, he tugged Star gently from her seat and led her closer to Vane, the oldest and therefore the leader of the litter. Fang stood like a second in command at his shoulder and both looked on her with strange expressions, hard to make out, something between sadness and joy and curiosity. Fury felt Star shift closer to him and he squeezed her hand in encouragement._

"_Star, this is our brother, Vane," he introduced them, "he's the oldest of our litter and this is Fang, he's second youngest."_

_Both nodded their heads to her and shifted uncomfortably, Star tilted her head to the side studying them both. She let go of Fury's hand and approached them slowly, first moving to stand in front of Vane, her hand came up with care and gently brushed at his hair, a smile inching across her mouth._

"_Now I know where I get mine from," she said kindly as though she were trying to relieve him of his nerves, Fury felt pride for her swell in his chest, she had grown in to a terrific woman; now all he had to do was check out her mate …._

_Vane smiled and stood up, towering her but she didn't retreat, Star craned her head to look up at him. Vane bent and kissed her lightly on each cheek and reached behind him to take Bride's hand, who had tears in her eyes. _

"_Welcome, little sister," he said, "this is my mate, Bride."_

_The women shook hands and Star turned her eyes to Fang, Fury watched her closely and saw her register just how very much Fang resembled Dare, instead of being afraid she moved closer. _

_She grinned. "Hello Fang. Don't worry I don't bite." _

_And placing a hand on each of his shoulders she pushed herself up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, Fang cleared his throat and almost blushing, grinned back at her._

"_I'm very happy to have met my brothers," Star's voice was barely more then a whisper, she turned back to Fury and exhaled slowly. _

"_I've missed you so much, Fury."_

"_I missed you too, little one."_

_Fury caught a glimpse of Vane and Fang's faces, they were shadowed and in pain and he knew they were thinking of Anya, the sister they had known and grown up with, the one Fury had never had the chance to know before she was killed._

"_So where's your mate?" Star asked looking around, once her eyes were not so damp, Fury shifted uncomfortably._

"_We argued," he murmured, not sure why, when he hadn't even told Vane; Star turned her eyes on him and he cringed._

"_How could you argue with her? She's so nice and …" the word eluded her. "Special."_

_Fury shrugged sullenly. "Don't look at me like that! Jeez, what is it with females that they give you that look!"_

_Star pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Well, since yours isn't here, I'll go get mine."_

_Fury was instantly alert, "yes, you do that," he said menacingly, so dangerously so that it gave Star pause._

"_You'll be nice won't you?" She bit her bottom lip worriedly._

_Before Fury could say anything Vane placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, we'll keep him in line, your mate is safe."_

"_Please, like you three pups could do anything to me!" A mocking growl came through the open door way and Fury, Fang and Vane looked up and snarled in unison._

"_Ah shit!" cried Vane._

"_Not this asshole!" Fang growled._

"_We've got to claim this mangy piece of fur as family?" Fury barked with disgust._

_Sasha swaggered through the doorway and snaked an arm around Star's waist from behind, he had a evil grin on his face as he stared at each of the affronted brothers. Sasha like all were-hunters was beautiful, he had blond hair so fair that it was almost white, falling past his shoulders and electric blue eyes that matched that of his mate. His body was as muscular and defined as any of the Kattalakis brothers, the planes of his face was chiselled and hard, he was captivating and was made all the more alluring by the slight curl to his lips as he grinned his amusement._

_Wolves were by nature very territorial animals and when two males meet there is an instant struggle for dominance, Sasha who didn't belong to any pack that Fury knew of always liked to push the limits of Fury's temper when they were in each others presence. _

"_Happy to see me I see fellers!" he dropped a kiss on Star's neck and hugged her tighter to him, at the appearance of her mate Star practically glowed, Fury was happy for his sister but why fates, why oh why oh why did she have to mate with him?_

"_Yeah, about as happy as I am to have a my tail caught in a bear trap!" Fang sneered and flopped on to one of the stools to brood miserably._

"_You sound like a psychotic dark-hunter I used to know," Sasha said airily, it was plain to see he was enjoying their misery._

"_So what happened, Scooby?" Fury asked, his thumb stuck into his front pockets of his jeans, his stance casual as he surveyed the other wolf. "Velma and Shaggy ditch you to make out in the mystery van?"_

"_Don't insult Scooby like that, Fury!" Vane said then laughed wickedly, "this one's more like Scrappy!"_

_The brothers laughed, and Sasha chuckled sarcastically before replying. "I can see you pups are suffering from some serious Droopy envy, so I'm not going to embarrass you by kicking all your ass's in front of your mate and sister."_

"_Aww, the pup thinks he can bark," Fang cooed and Vane laughed giving Fury a sly look._

"_Maybe we should kick his ass. I mean he deserves one for sniffing around my sister," Fury growled and as one the Kattalakis brother's advanced on Sasha who snarled._

"_Stop right now!" Star barked, she sounded so wolf like that everyone stopped and laughed, Sasha bent down to whisper something in her ear and she gave him a quick elbow to the stomach, he rubbed the offended spot but looked pleased with himself. _

"_You can all grow up and stop baiting each other!" Bride chirped in swatting her own mate on the arm, Vane merely grinned at her and Sasha couldn't resist._

"_Hi Bride," he said politely, "remember me?"_

_Even Fury had to admit that it was fun watching Vane's face pale and hear him elicit a feral growl. Star giggled._

"_I take it you all met before?"_

_Bride's lips twitched before she answered. "Yes we met at the Peltier's thanksgiving dinner a few years ago, didn't we Vane?" she added pointedly and Vane's face cleared at once now he knew where his wife would remember Sasha from. Bride shook her head._

"_Nice to see you again, Sasha," she said sweetly and was then pulled on to Vane's lap, Star and Bride exchanged purely female looks; possessiveness was wonderful in small doses._

_The day moved on and Fury watched with interest the interaction and by-play between the mated couples(he decided maybe Sasha wasn't so bad), and the unmistakable feeling of loneliness swept over him and the delight of finding his sister was suddenly drowned out by his need for his mate. _

_Fury walked back to his pack that night and the lone wolf that he was sat alone beneath the stars, needing her desperately._

Come back, love._ That was the message he howled to the moon hoping that wherever she was she would hear his heart calling for hers._

_Faraway in a place Fury couldn't possibly reach, Charisma turned abruptly from speaking to Pride, her heart pounding wildly. He was calling for her ..._


	12. Chapter 12

"_I won't do it!"_

_Kiera and Kiara winced when Blaze's shrill voice sounded through the ceiling of the Peltier house. Charisma who was standing outside the upstairs bedroom where she was confined grimaced at the painful sound and gave Sabine a pointed look. It blatantly said: I told you she would be like this._

"_Blaze you can't fight with us!" Sabine called back through the door, her voice was soothing and Charisma noticed with a grin that she only ever used that voice with her baby sister. Then again they all seemed to have endless patience with Blaze as the baby of the family._

"_How can you do this to me? Chrissy?" Charisma gave a silent groan, she'd wondered how long it would take before Blaze appealed to her, and there she was thinking she was going to get out of this one …_

"_Blaze, your barely a century old, your powers aren't developed enough to fight with us yet," Charisma called back and heard her sister splutter indignantly. Sabine seemed to have an aversion to reprimanding or telling the harsh truth to Blaze. "And not to mention that your powers would not be of use, you're the Goddess of Healing and protection, it would cause a rupture in your powers balance for you to use them for destruction so early in your life. They aren't well honed enough."_

"_This isn't fair! What about Odette? Her powers are practically useless, far more then mine and you've called her to fight with you!" Blaze said her voice thick with tears, Sabine looked stricken and Charisma gave her a hard look to tell her to either stick to her guns or go downstairs. Sabine nodded and put her fingers in her ears, Charisma felt bad to, if Blaze's anger was simply a childish tantrum of not wanting to be left behind then it would be easy to do so and Charisma knew that if that were the case she'd probably taunt her while she was stuck behind the magically locked door. But the fact was Blaze was in this state because she feared for her family's safety, she wanted to be with them and help them, she hated feeling useless. Hated feeling others were risking their lives while she wasn't._

"_Blaze be reasonable, your fighting skills aren't developed enough yet and as for Odette, she's older then you. She has the obligatory God powers that your to young to have."_

_Blaze sniffed behind the door and then there was a noise of the springs on the bed being sat on and Charisma nodded as if Blaze could see her and tugged on Sabine's arm. Sabine had her face screwed up and her fingers still in her ears until they were at the bottom of the stairs, she dropped her arms and looked guiltily back up them. Before she could say anything or change her mind Charisma cut through her thoughts._

"_Its for the best, Sabine, she could be seriously hurt," Charisma said in a grave voice, Sabine turned her eyes on Charisma._

"_So could you," and she gave a pointed look towards Charisma's stomach, Charisma laid her hand protectively over her abdomen and sighed. She had confidence in her skills and her powers but still the life of her unborn baby laid heavy on her mind, she desperately wanted to flee back to the safety of Fury's arms but she knew the destruction the Atribos caused. She had seen with her own eyes how her home had been torn asunder by their furious hatred and their insatiable lust for wreckage and destruction. _

_She refused to see it happen again, not to this world, not to her mate._

"_Don't think I don't know that," Charisma snapped when Sabine went to open her mouth once more, Charisma sighed again. "The choice was not an easy one. But it's the only one I can live with."_

_Sabine's face grew cool and she inclined her head and she swept down the hallway where she met Nicolette Peltier and her family in a parlour of sorts, Charisma straightened her shoulders and joined her there._

"_She must not be allowed to leave the safety of her room until we, that is to say all her family have left the premises," Sabine was instructing the female bear. Nicolette was a formidable looking woman, a beautiful blond in her early forties she exuded an air of power and authority yet there was something in her animal senses that caused her to instantly respect the two women stood before her. "Once we have left you may free her, I have put a very strong enchantment around your house and bar, she will not be able to escape in any way and it will hide her scent from those hunting us."_

"_What of the other lodgers here?" Nicolette inquired, her eyes moving constantly back to Charisma who stood wearing a regal expression she got whenever she was preparing herself for a battle. _

"_They will be unaffected by the enchantment, it is only connected to Blaze."_

_Nicolette nodded. "She is …" Charisma cast around for the right word. "Tenacious. She will not give up easily and if by any chance she does find a way of escaping before we come to retrieve her, you must do all you can to keep her here or get a message to us and one of us will come."_

_Nicolette nodded again and Charisma felt her patience wearing thin, obviously this woman did not know the danger she was placing herself and her family in, it was best she know. _

"_I don't think you understand, Mrs Peltier, how important this is." The bear raised an arrogant yet elegant eyebrow at being addressed so formerly and behind her a few of her sons exchanged humorous glances. "The people that hunt us are not of this world, ergo they do not adhere to the laws of your sanctuary. The are without compassion or mercy, you and your family will be in grave danger should they suspect that you hide one of our kin here. Please, think hard about what you are committing to. For if you get cold feet and attempt to throw our sister out we will hunt you down."_

_Charisma's gaze pierced all in its presence and one of Nicolette's sons shifted uneasily behind her but she said nothing so Charisma carried on, Sabine's lips twitched._

"_If all goes the way we hope and anticipate you have been a will be afforded the highest protections that can be given by our kind, you will be considered a friend of our family and we will fight for you as such."_

"_Unless, of course, we're friends of your enemies," Sabine added rather insidiously._

"_Of course," Nicolette agreed and Charisma shrugged._

"_I'll stand guard at her door if you like, Maman?" One of Nicolette's quads spoke up, his curly blond hair left open to fall down his back, he wore a tight black t-shirt and a pair of black leather pants and biker boots that were rather scuffed and dusty. Charisma raised an eyebrow, this guy was so not her sisters type._

_Nicolette turned to look at her son, her harsh gaze softening and she patted his cheek when he stepped forward. _

"_Good boy, Remi, always so thoughtful," she said lovingly while behind them there was a series of hasty coughs that Charisma knew hid snorts of derision and disbelief._

_Charisma let out a long breath and walked through the bar - ignoring the looks from the various were-hunters - and stepped outside into the gentle morning sunlight. She was trying her hardest not to think about Fury, at least until all this trouble was over but it was so hard, she had spent a lot of last night trying not to cry, she blamed in on pregnancy hormones. But when she heard his howl so plaintive and lonely, she physically ached. And when she woke this morning her pillow was still damp from weeping in her sleep. It wasn't the way of her people to be away from their soul mate for long durations and she now understood the damage it could cause if you were not strong enough to combat the depression. _

_Charisma leant back against the brick wall and waited for Sabine, she felt tired, perhaps it was an effect of pregnancy though she hadn't gotten any real sleep last night. She blinked, then blinked again and every time her eyes stayed closed for longer, until she stood upright against the wall in a state of such drowsiness that she did not realise someone was watching her from opposite the street. They walked across the road and mounted the pavement in a jump and were in front of her, their shadow causing her forehead to crease wondering where the sun had gone on such a cloudless morning. _

_They seized her upper arms hard and her eyes flew open, she was unable to utter a scream when soft but firm lips crushed on her own, taking her cry of alarm into his own mouth._

"_F-fury!" she gasped once he had allowed her to breathe. Instead of answering her Fury hauled her in to his arms and held her tightly to his chest inhaling the scent of her pretty neck that he licked and kissed. She was so shocked that she couldn't raise her arms to hold him to her, she had wondered whether or not he was still mad at her this obviously answered her question. Suddenly she stiffened, her body clenching with fear, what if the Atribos were near? What if they saw Fury and realised?_

_Fury had never felt such relief in his entire life, with her finally in his arms again it felt as if someone had taken a vice off that had been squeezing painfully at his heart for the last few days. Then she stiffened. He pulled back and gazed at her face, praying she still wanted him, she looked a little frightened and a surge of guilt so strong burned viciously inside him, he wouldn't have been surprised if it physically singed the sides of his heart. He resisted the urge to rub his hand over his chest to try and ease the pain. Had he made her this frightened of him?_

"_Charisma, I -" he broke off when she struggled to remove his arms from around her, but he tightened them in response. "Listen to me, stop trying to run away from me! I'm sorry!"_

_She stopped struggling and lowered her head to his chest and let out a frustrated sigh, then her head shot back up again barely missing his mouth._

"_Fury, I really am sorry, but I really can't talk about this now. I'll come to you tonight, I promise!"_

_Struck dumb by her fearful whisper and abrupt departure, he almost let her go, but his senses slammed back into him and he grabbed her arm and swung her round to face him._

"_What's happened? What's going on?" he asked but she shook her head and tried to pull away from him, he didn't want to hurt her but there was no way he was letting her go again. He spun her round and pressed her head into his chest, cradling her there while he murmured in her ear._

"_Charisma, you have to tell me what's wrong. I'm sorry for what I said to you and that I was angry, please forgive me."_

"_Its not you," she moaned softly, tears in her voice, she tried to shake her head and move back but when she found his steel arms around her she gave up and settled into his embrace, a feeling of completeness sweeping over her, making her feel more whole then she had in days._

"_That's better," she shivered as he breathed over her ear. "Now tell me why your so upset?"_

"_It's a long story, you'll probably not understand most of it."_

"_Tell me," he urged. Charisma snuggled closer aware that they were cuddling on a street in broad daylight but she just didn't care._

"_I told you my world died, remember? That's true enough … But I didn't tell you how. The Atribos are demons in my world, they thrive on destruction and terror, they hate the gods that keep them so downtrodden. Atribos in our language means …. Well it basically means without souls and unclean. But there isn't a real world in your language to describe them. They killed our world and now they're coming for us."_

_Fury stroked his hand down her hair and tucked some wayward strand behind her ear._

"_How did they kill your world?" He uttered and was pleased when her arms crept round him and held him tight. _

"_They killed off the source of what Gods are. They wiped out whole civilisations, in the most brutal way. When a god is no longer believed in they cease to exist, that is a universal law throughout every dimension. But in our world just because you kill the god or goddess does not mean what they represent dies."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_In your world if you kill Artemis the moon dies and her brother Apollo dies so then does the sun, in my world the goddess of the sun may die but the sun remains but there is no longer any balance or control. It burns ceaselessly, creating deserts and drying up water, its heat becoming so intense that it will burn to a crisp any who venture out in it. The sun will affect the moon, the moon the tide a chaotic domino effect of titanic proportions. The whole world unbalancing itself. We tried to save our people but it was too late so we abandoned everything and came here."_

_Charisma raised her head and looked into Fury's eyes. "Now those that wish to destroy us have come for us, we will beat them but … I think its best that you do not come near me for a little while - just until its all over," She added hastily when Fury's face showed immediate objection to the plan._

"_You can get that out of your head this minute!" he growled moodily, he disliked the sound of the Atribos immensely and more so because it gave his mate an excuse not to come home with him and have make up sex. "You're my mate I'm staying with you." _

_His tone held finality but still she tried to persuade him._

"_If you'd just -"_

"_Be quiet," Fury watched her eyes flash dangerously and he gave her a grin before he demanded. "I want you to be quiet and kiss me."_

_She acquiesced to his demand rather amiably, she wrapped her dainty hands round the nape of his neck while his own roamed her perfect ass freely._

"_I've missed you," he breathed when she broke away from him, both breathing heavily._

"_I miss you too."_

"_So this is the wolf?" Charisma turned her head to the Sanctuary door to find Sabine, Kiera and Kiara were all standing, watching her with grins on their faces. Charisma blushed and rubbed her face over Fury's chest rather like a cat. _

"_Man, Rage is going to be ppeeee - iiiissss - ed!" Kiara chortled, Fury frowned and his arms unconsciously tightened around Charisma._

"_Who?" he asked, hoping to Artemis it wasn't an ex-boyfriend he would unfortunately have to kill._

"_Our brother," Kiara laughed again, in fact she actually whooped, so loudly that several people eyed her closely. Fury raised an eyebrow then shrugged, he felt Charisma sigh contentedly in his arms before she spoke._

"_Fury, these are my sisters. Sabine," Fury nodded to a young woman with unbelievably long and straight brown hair, with storm grey eyes set in a delicate face, he blinked rapidly when the colour of her hair began to change before his eyes; he shook his head. Apart from that weirdness, she was not what Fury would have thought of as a Goddess. As if she heard his thoughts she gave him a wry grin and said conspiratorially. "I know what you mean, wolf. Good thing I'm only god by half, huh?"_

_Again Fury merely raised an eyebrow and Charisma smiled, he supposed he would have to be comfortable in her family's presence seeing as he didn't plan on letting her go anytime in eternity. And it seemed to please her to introduce them, what the hell, it cost him nothing to make her smile._

_Fury nodded his head to the two twins standing on either side of Sabine, they both had short sleek caps of coal black hair, their lips very full and wide and their skin was so pale it seemed to glow and make all else around them dull, they were identical down to the most minute feature. However Fury paused when looking at the one introduced as Kiera, her face had a quality about it that was indefinable, perhaps it was her eyes but when he looked at her, he saw sadness in her. Loneliness and pain, her face haunted by what Fury could only guess but even then he knew he would be wrong._

"_Now all you have to do is invite me round to meet your family," Charisma said winding her arms around his neck._

"_You've already met them," Fury muttered huskily nuzzling her ear, "besides I don't want them visiting when I start doing all I plan to do to you." He nipped her lobe, delighted when she shivered. _

_They both looked up at someone clearing their throat and Fury moved to step back but Charisma held fast and he drew her under the safety of his shoulder._

"_Well, we going or what?" Kiara asked, and Sabine who was watching them with a mysterious smile turned her eyes on her sister._

"_No," she said softly, "not tonight. Lets have one more night of peace, there's time enough for bloodshed tomorrow."_

_She gave a wistful sigh and faded away, almost as if she had been blown away by a breeze, the twins bid them goodbye and followed suit but in a more abrupt fashion, by simply flashing out of there._

_Fury pursed his lips. "so that's your family?"_

_Charisma cleared her throat dangerously, "yes and I bid you continue whatever you wish to say at your own peril."_

_Fury couldn't help grinning like a fool, he felt soothed by just being in her presence yet at the same time his body was thrumming from wanting her, his very blood dancing to a rapid beat because she was here with him. He bent his head to kiss her and she yielded instantly, his head still dizzy from joy he flashed them back to the forest where he and his pack stayed, drawing her close to his side he walked her through the pack. It was a momentous instant as Fury held his head higher then he had ever done, showing the wolves that this was his mate, their leader had his mate and there would never be another. They parted for them like the red sea and stared after them long after they had ducked under the swinging curtain of ivy and settled down upon the grass._

_They made love furiously, the tension each had been feeling over the days apart breaking free and taking form in rough sweaty sex under the cresting sun. Later they lay sated and unmoving, wound tightly in each others arms and Fury was more content then he had ever been in his life, he exerted himself enough to run his coarse hand over her smooth hip, revelling in its texture and knowing that it was forever his. His face was buried in her hair that spilled in wild abandon down to her bare breasts, he tipped his head to the side to kiss the underside of her breast and he felt her wiggle in response. She pleased him more then it was possible to say. He gathered his strength and lent up on his forearms so he could look down at her precious face._

"_Are you ok?" he asked, his voice hoarse from the roars he had let out when she had made him climax over and over. _

_Charisma licked her lips and with her eyes closed nodded, Fury bit his lip; insecurities were a bitch but he couldn't help himself. "Was I too rough?"_

_Charisma opened her eyes and dazed him with her smile, she slipped languid arms round his neck and stretched beneath him, her wet bottom half moving against him until he elicited a groan of satisfaction. _

"_I liked it, Fury," she said sleepily, "it was fantastic. Like it always is."_

_He forced a nonchalant sigh when he really wanted to howl his triumph. "Well, I try my best. But I don't know if I've convinced you what a great lover I am?"_

_Charisma laughed deep in her throat, "perhaps you should try again, in case I need reminding."_

_Fury laughed and lowered his head and placed his lips against the soft swell of her breast that were pushed up against his chest as he lowered himself on her. When he broke the kiss, her lips were parted on a breathless pant._

"_You please me in ways you can never know," she whispered before rolling him off her and laying on her side facing him, then she took his hand and led it to her flat stomach. _

_Confusion must have showed on his face because she smiled enigmatically and pressed his hand closer …. Was she? Was she telling him …?_

_No. Fury denied it outright, he already had Charisma who was everything wonderful in his life, there was no way the fates would give him such happiness, he didn't deserve it!_

"_What are you telling me?" he asked in a voice not his own and she smiled wider._

"_A baby, love," she said, her soft voice brimming with laughter, "a beautiful baby."_

_Fury felt as if someone had hit him hard in the stomach, he was robbed of air. Joy and wonder consumed him and the hand pressed to the velvet skin of her stomach trembled. He had never thought of being a father, not really; he had tried not to think about it, he never believed he would find his mate. It was a dream he never allowed himself to have for fear of the pain it would cause should it never become reality._

_Charisma lay on her back and watched Fury's face, the deepening in his eyes and the brightness that was suddenly there, the working in his throat. He didn't say a word but lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her stomach, so delicate it felt like fairy wings, she sank her fingers into his hair and watched him close his eyes as he laid his head upon her stomach._

"_Are you happy?" Charisma asked it needlessly, she could see by his face that she'd given him a priceless treasure, he would be an excellent father. He lifted his head and his hand so he could stroke her cheek and stare down at her face._

"_Thank you," he said the words starkly, his voice rough with emotion. "I -" he broke off and shook his head. "I love you .. So much. Thank you for this, love."_

_Charisma felt her lower lip tremble, Fury leant down and rained kisses lovingly all over her face, a sigh of contentment escaped her and she shifted her body. Fury was consciously careful not to put his weight on her and this time when he made love to her it was as slow and sweet as could be, floating back to earth with her on a lazy cloud of love and happiness. His low laugh loud in their comfortable silence._

"_What?" Charisma muttered, speaking into the warmth of his neck._

"_I just realised something," he drew her closer before whispering so softly she barely caught the words. "My reality is now better then my dreams."_


	13. Chapter 13

According to Charisma's sisters there wasn't much need to hunt with them, that for the moment the Atribos were hiding and that when it came to an all out battle they would call on Fury and Charisma for help. Charisma was a bit unsettled by this at first but soon let go of thoughts of going hunting when Fury distracted her, Fury grinned to himself when he thought of said distracting ways.

It was midnight and Fury lay on his back staring up at the sky, his breathing had just started to get back to normal, but Charisma was already asleep, he was tired too but he couldn't bring himself to change forms yet. To hold her as a man, run a human hand over the smooth flesh of her stomach and know his child - his son or daughter was growing there, a small piece of him and a lot of her he hoped. There was nothing that could compare.

Fury rolled on to his side, he knew that once he shifted into his wolf form, she would follow him, even when she was asleep she would change with him and would lie by his side … his mate. His everything. He stared at Charisma, her pretty face concealed by her sunflower hair, he swept it gently back and moved his hand so he could lace his fingers with hers. In her sleep she tightened them, clung to him and he smiled. She was so adorable, he couldn't wait until she started showing her bump, show just what they had made together. He found himself thinking of things he would teach his child, boy or girl and when he did so he would smile without knowing it.

Fury run the backs of his fingers over her belly and bit his lips to keep from chuckling aloud and waking his mate, he had had to assure her that he would still desire her when she, as she put it, became a house. As if he could do otherwise, he relished the thought of making love to her and exploring her body's changes, the new curves and changing lines. Fury's grin widened when he saw Charisma's lips twitch.

"I know your awake," he said with a laugh in his voice, it seemed strange to talk when the world was so quiet, full of night noises and forest sounds. Charisma's eyes squeezed tight before she opened them at the same time as her smile spread like a jet stream across her face, it made him want to gasp for air.

"I was wondering why you were watching me sleep," she said yawning, politely covering her mouth with her hand. Fury pulled her body close to his, fitting her to his side and hissing when unexpected pleasure tingles erupted up that side, and spread through his body at the contact of her warm, sleep flushed skin.

"I love watching you sleep," Fury murmured, angling his head so he could look down at her head pillowed on his chest, her delicate hand playing in his chest hair. "Its like .." he deliberately trailed off.

"What?"

"Nah, its dumb. You'll not want to hear."

"I will!"

"No, I -"

"Tell me!" She thumped his chest with a clenched fist, that he barely felt but he said 'ow' anyway and kissed her little fist.

"Alright. When I watch you sleep beside me I sometimes feel I can't breathe… I don't need to, I just look at you and you look so delicate and … lovely I wonder if your real, wonder if you'll leave should I touch you. Your so tranquil and peaceful and everything is right with the world because you sleep so soundly. I wonder if you dream of me as I do of you."

Fury saw her eyes glisten and he traced her perfect lips with his thumb. "And your smile. I watch for it like I would the first star of the evening, gazing intently so I don't miss the first sparkle telling me its going to be there in the night."

Charisma rubbed her face against his chest and said in a voice that was slightly thick from emotion, "I never knew you were such a poet, my love. I could listen to your words all night."

Fury laughed and nudged at her face until she turned it up to kiss him.

"I -" He began to speak but as he did there was a flash and in front of them appeared Sabine, Rage and Pride. Charisma squeaked and hid behind Fury, uncaring that he was naked, Fury simply raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess," Fury said to Sabine, whom he had come to rather like over the time he had known her, "my new in-laws?"

Sabine's answering grin was nothing short of wicked. "Oh yeah. Fury meet your new brothers. Pride," she indicated the dark blonde man who was sneering, "and Rage." She gestured to the dark one who was also looking like he had a mouthful of splinters.

"And I thought my mother hated me when she named me," Fury said and with a shake of his head moved to get up, instantly clothes appeared on his body courtesy of his mate.

"Thank you, I thought I was going to go blind," the one called Pride snarled and Fury just cocked an arrogant eyebrow and smirked.

"Now, now fellas, no need to get envious. I'm sure you'll grow in time."

Both men looked ready to strike but Sabine cleared her throat pointedly and they calmed their temper to threatening looks and grinding of teeth. Fury was not least bit anxious in the face of their anger and wrapped his arm around Charisma's waist, hauling her to his side.

"What's wrong?" Charisma asked while Fury paid attention to far more important things, such as her slender neck.

"The Atribos. We've found their nest and we believe they are going to attack tonight, we've sent the others out as bait. We need to get a move on."

"Leave the dog," Rage said curling his lip at Fury who felt his temper flare.

"I'd like to see you try, shit head!"

Rage stepped forward but head butted an invisible barrier just as Fury pushed Charisma aside to meet him. Sabine coughed politely and Rage rounded on her, spitting with rage.

"You take his side!"

She laughed it was musical yet Fury found it to be mirthless, in fact it raised chills on him and Charisma.

"Know this, dearest brother," she said sarcastically, "you die before he does."

Fury was taken aback by that, he would never had suspected that Sabine who had seemed so family orientated and protective whenever he saw her around Blaze, the twins and Charisma would ever choose an outsider over her blood. It humbled him in fact. Rage growled and became silent.

"We must go now," Pride interrupted, casting an odd look at Fury then at Sabine.

"Wait," Fury said , "Charisma can't fight, she's -"

"Yes, I can!" she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"I didn't mean that you can't," he corrected hastily, "its just -"

He began to wane under her stare, "baby, your pregnant. Our child could be hurt."

Fury made his voice low and soothing and saw instantly it had an effect, well, it did until Rage growled.

"What's this shit!"

Fury and Charisma looked up, her hands immediately covering her unborn child protectively, Fury unconsciously stepped in front of her and Sabine moved forward, Fury noted that the ends of her razor straight hair was curling tightly.

"How can you be pregnant?"

Pride laughed at his brother then, "That statement does not do you credit."

"Shut up, Pride! How could you let yourself be impregnated by this animal? Your going to give birth to runts and pups, is that what you want!"

Fury launched himself at Rage, his body shifting into a wolf and lunging for his throat, taken off guard, Rage fell backwards and used all his strength to try and throw Fury off. When he could not free himself of his weight he used his powers instead and Fury felt his body be picked up and thrown against a tree.

Fury got up to go back and have another go only to find Sabine clutching Rage's head, she was frightening to behold. Her sleek hair was now a mass of wild looking curls blowing up in a non-existent wind, shafts of red and blonde slide through her hair, reminding him somewhat of a tigers stripes. Her fingernails had elongated and sharpened to a hideous length and were caging the front of Rage's head and face while she whispered in his ear.

"I told you he is never to be touched!" she hissed, in a deep voice that seemed to be layered with a thousand other demonic voices. "Don't fuck with me on this one, Rage, you have no idea what I will do to protect my family!"

She threw him from her and he landed in front of his brother who quickly helped him to his feet, Fury and Charisma were still staring at Sabine, her eyes he noticed were jet black, Charisma stepped forward.

"Sabine, you have to calm down," she said in a gentle voice, immediately the blackness receded from Sabine's eyes and her hair lay flat and straight once more, she cast Rage a disdainful glance before turning back to Charisma.

"Are you staying here, Charisma, I think Fury is right -"

"I'm coming with you."

Fury suppressed a groan when Charisma answered in her no nonsense voice she had, Sabine let out a sigh and looked over her head at Fury. Their eyes met and they had an understanding and for once Fury really appreciated that Sabine was Charisma's sister and that she loved her just as much as he did.

"Keep close to her, Lykos," she commanded, her face and body once again showed nothing but the calm and collected being she had always been but Fury noted that occasionally he saw the odd red or blonde stripe shivering through her hair.

"You can count on it," Fury responded and pulled Charisma closer, he placed a hand over his mate's stomach. "You need to let me protect you, both of you."

Charisma smiled and rubbed his frown lines with her forefinger, "just as long as you let me protect you."

Fury let out an aggrieved breath and nodded, folding her into his arms, he nodded to Sabine who inclined her head and stepped back until she had space on either side of her to do a somersault if she pleased.

"Meet us at the French Quarter," she commanded once again before disappearing, Fury took a breath and flashed himself there, holding in his arms the most important things in his life.

Charisma pulled out of Fury's arms as soon as they were in the French Quarter, as soon as they had flashed there she had felt sickening fear overtake good sense and the urge to scream was overwhelming. Swallowing it she looked at Fury who had gone so pale he was almost translucent and lines of strain were beginning to show around his mouth.

"Don't give into it, baby!" she whispered urgently and Fury jerked as if coming out of a daze.

"Huh?"

"The Atribos. They maximise your fears, fight it off!"

Charisma watched Fury's face carefully, he closed his eyes, his eyelids flickered and he gave a shudder, he took a deep breath as if fighting the urge to vomit then opened his eyes.

Rage had appeared beside them and looking at Fury with a malicious smile.

"It does that to the weak," he taunted.

"Then why are you still here?" Fury quipped, his mind not totally shaken off the feeling of utter dread, he moved closer to Charisma.

"Your family," he grumbled, Charisma gave him a painless dig in the ribs and said with a glare, because she knew it would make him laugh.

"We agreed to disagree on that one." For a moment Fury grinned and his face did not look so pale, Charisma inhaled deeply before leaning up top kiss his cheek.

"Guard yourself well, love," Charisma said sombrely just before a wave of power, like the aftermath of an explosion erupted from somewhere forcing them all to take a step back and cover their faces from an intense heat.

Charisma lifted her head from Fury's chest and pushed him from her, they needed to be ready to fight, Charisma watched Fury transform into a wolf, he snarled and growled and looked more vicious then she ever could have imagined. For that she was thankful, it would keep him alive.

The rest of her family were there in various states of preparation for fighting, Sabine was the only one who stood calmly watching the seen unfold before her. Charisma felt her pulse rocket when before her appeared a troop of at least fifty Atribi, but these were merely foot-soldiers Charisma could tell this by their signature coal black skin. They had the form of a man but were completely hairless, they didn't have eyebrows, there was no lighter colouring upon the palms of their hands, just a jet black and set in their faces like diamonds were shining white eyes.

The higher up the ranks a demon got, they varied in colour and form, in Charisma's opinion they just got uglier.

When they spoke it was in the language of the Veritinician's and Charisma saw Fury cringe, to him it must have sounded like someone attempting to play the violin without lessons and having the sound magnified ten times.

"It is your end," the Atribi at the forefront of the mob said, his glowing eyes flickering as it blinked. He's body seemed to move awkwardly, in strange jerked movements like a puppet being attacked by its puppeteer.

Rage stepped forward and spat on the ground between the two sides, Charisma felt her breath quicken as she watched the Atribi's lipless mouth curve into a smile and he gave a sarcastic bow before throwing back his head and roaring into the night. Rage let loose a battle cry and like in times of old, the two sides met in a clashing of swords and bodies, Charisma growled and transformed into a large tigress. Fury's body was streamlined and beautiful, streaking like a bullet through the entangled bodies, Charisma was beside him and both jumped upon the nearest Atribi. Either this was the biggest one she had ever seen or Charisma had forgotten how truly big and strong the Atribos race was. Fury sank his jaws into the Atribi's thick neck and pulled, laying it open in a gush of dark blood, Charisma watched Fury spit the flesh out of his mouth with a snarl then ran at her, Charisma crouched low on her belly and turned her head just in time to see Fury engage with another enemy coming at her side.

Charisma pounced as well taking out the Atribi's leg with her sharp claws, Fury dodged round the tumbling body, mauling him while was on the floor. Charisma heard a tangled blast of screams and shouts from her family, howls of rage and fear and most especially pain, the ground was awash with the black blood of the Atribi and the red of the Veriticians. There were echoes of power waves spreading through the area, shaking the earth they stood upon, bodies flew over head, inky black lightening scored the sky and hit the ground, creating craters where feet had stood minutes before. Overhead the sky was a swirl of rolling, thunderous clouds, She saw the moon and roared. Charisma felt her body flatten and realised Fury had thrown himself over her, protecting her body from an explosion of brick and wood.

Charisma turned her head this way and that looking for Sabine, she could see her sister taking out soldier after soldier, her hair flying curls, her eyes as black as the Atribos skin.

_Sabine! Look at the moon!_

Charisma called to her sister and saw her whirl around to look at the once silvery orb, it was turning a deep deadly looking purple, soon it would fade entirely. They were knocking this world out of balance.

Charisma watched Sabine from under Fury's prone body, she could see the indecision on her sisters face and then it hardened, her black eyes glinting in the street light. Sabine shouted out something over the storm she had created, Charisma could only make out a demonic voice layered with several other voices and the air stilled. Shards of glass and wood from an explosion suspended in midair, there was no noise, the water from a burst pipe literally stopped, halted in its progress of shooting up into the air. Charisma bucked Fury off her and laid her paw over his, still watching the sky, the black clouds that had been swirling madly simply stilled, then a roar erupted from the earth itself, like a train next to her ear, as if it were rejecting the changes being wrought and like a black hole had opened up somewhere in the curtain of this world, Charisma watched the clouds being sucked backwards. The water flowed back, glass and wood flew back into its original position, smooth, unbroken and un-splintered.

The Atribi's inky faces went slack and then they let out high pitched whines and crouched over clutching their heads like it were about to split in two. Charisma sucked in a breath a moment before their bodies shattered into a shower of flesh coloured particles.

The roaring stopped and the ground was still, the moon was once again a pale grey as it waned and made way for the sun, Charisma blew out a relieved breath and shifted into her human form, bruised and exhausted but thankfully alive and unharmed. The street had settled back into its previous state, down to the last tin can rolling along the pavement. Turning to Fury, she let out a scream of denial.


	14. Chapter 14

_He lay on his side in wolf form, his white fur matted from the wind and slicked by the shower of water from the previously broken pipes. And out of his stomach protruded a shaft of jagged timber, spilling scarlet blood on to his beautiful coat, Charisma buried her hand in the soft fur of his neck and gave him a little shake, her heart stuttered. He wasn't breathing! He had no heart beat! His wide blue eyes were open, staring, blank. Dead._

"_Sabine!" she screamed for her sister, turning her head this way and that, her whole family was there except the one person who could help. "No, no," she moaned despairingly. _

_Charisma choked on a sob, sinking down beside him she buried her face in his fur, she didn't command the power to bring life back to a dead body. She raised her tear streaked face suddenly, but she knew someone who could possibly do so. _

_Charisma held on to Fury and flashed herself to Sanctuary, right beside Blaze, who was standing by a window watching the sky apprehensively._

"_Chrissy! What -"_

"_Blaze, its Fury! He's hurt!"_

_Blaze ran immediately to his side and knelt by him on the floor, she closed her eyes and smoothed her hand over his fur, Charisma's heart filled with hope. She had seen Blaze perform miracles before, she had brought people back just as they rattled out their final breath, she had healed the most grievous wounds. She went into a trance like now and her hand glowed a fiery orange and pulsated warmth, Charisma didn't realise Blaze's bedroom was occupied by several of the bears._

_Blaze blinked her eyes open, they were shining with tears, Charisma felt weak and shaky like she was coming down with the flu._

"_He's gone," Blaze whispered and Charisma gripped her shoulder forcefully and shook her, Blaze let out a small cry of pain._

"_Do it again!" Charisma snarled, "do it now!"_

"_Charisma, I can't heal the dead!" she sobbed apologetically, "I'm sorry. Where's Sabine? She can!"_

_Charisma let out an agonised wail and curled up beside her wolf, Blaze was weeping silently and stroking Charisma's hair but she didn't feel it. She was dying from the inside out._

"_Fury's dead," Devereaux Peltier said in a hushed, disbelieving voice, he wrapped an arm around his mate's waist and looked over his shoulder to Aimee, who had her hands over her mouth. "Someone needs to tell Vane."_

_Aimee drew her hands down and nodded, pressing her lips tightly together to stop her sobbing loudly. Aimee took one look at Charisma who lay unmoving on the floor, deaf to her sister's soothing voice, her face turned into white fur. Just as she was about to flash to Vane and Bride's house two twin girls came bursting through the crowd, pushing past her muscular brothers. They caught sight of Charisma and Fury and their hands flew to their mouths covering identical gasps of horror, one turned to bury her head in the others chest and sobs racked her. Aimee could not stand the sorrow any longer but she wondered how she would fair when faced with Fang's despair._

_Aimee flashed outside the house Vane had bought for Bride after their marriage, it was big and respectable looking from the outside, however Aimee knew it too be homely and welcoming inside. She lifted her hand and grasped the cold knocker, after the echoing of the knocker faded there came a pup like yelp from the baby's room and the padding of feet moving quickly downstairs. _

_Vane opened the door and looked through bleary eyes at Aimee, he blinked rapidly to bring her in to focus._

"_Can't you just count sheep if you can't sleep?" Vane groused, stepping back to let her in, Aimee stayed on the doorstep, "Fang is in a coma, he's dead to the world for at least another three hours." _

_Vane realised she hadn't walked through the door and rubbed his eyes again, then he noted the trails of wet down her cheeks and his gaze sharpened, the scent of her misery was ripe in the air and it made his heart pound. Fang? He knew Fang was in bed, he could smell him in the house, he could hear him snore. He wasn't hurt, Vane tried to calm his heart._

"_Aimee, what's wrong? Come in, will you? Damn it, what's wrong!"_

"_Vane?" _

_He turned his head as Bride came down the stairs carrying Quinn in her arms, the baby was deeply asleep again. Her long auburn curls fell over her shoulders, she looked like an angel but at the moment her pale face was concerned, her eyebrows raised in question. A sound behind her made them all look behind Bride to the top of the stairs, Fang appeared awake and alert. _

"_Aimee?" he said, his eyes glinting in the dark, he flashed himself down the stair to the front door and dragged her inside, "what is it? What's happened?"_

_Her lips trembled and Fang pulled her into his arms, throwing a murderous look at Vane who growled back and Fang looked a little ashamed._

"_Sorry, Vane, I know you wouldn't have upset her."_

_Aimee pulled herself out of his arms and wiped her eyes impatiently, Bride appeared at her side, touched her shoulder gently and with equal kindness asked, "Aimee, what has happened?"_

_Vane's heart sank lower as she looked at all of them in turn, soothed a hand over the baby's curls and then her eyes rested on Fang's face, her own showing her inner agony. _

"_Fury's dead," she choked out, Vane watched Fang's face pale, Bride broke down into tears and Vane felt as if something had robbed him of air, his mind blanked for a moment. _

"_What do you mean?" Fang said stupidly._

"_His mate flashed him back to Sanctuary but he was gone," she walked into Fang's arms and he wrapped them round her automatically, but his face was blank a if he had no idea he had just done it. "Her sister is staying there with us and they went to fight and -"_

_She broke off covering her mouth._

"_Fight who?" Vane asked, not comprehending what she was trying to say to him, but Aimee just shook her head. Rage broke free and Vane threw his head back and howled, Fang followed suit and the baby woke crying and attempting to howl with them. Vane wrapped his arm around Bride and the baby and flashed them to Sanctuary. _

_When he appeared inside the parlour of the Peltier house Vane let go of Bride to dash up the stair knowing she was safe in Sanctuary, he saw the bears crowded around a doorway and made for it barely aware that Fang was on his heels. Vane was oblivious to his actions as he tore through the bears, yanking apart their shoulders to find his brother, they cleared his way and his eyes rested upon his Fury's form, a bloodied rod of rough wood puncturing his stomach and blood soaking his white fur. Next to him lay his mate, he'd only seen her one time and that was in the shop when she had first come in, he noted her face and hair was smeared with Fury's blood. _

_Vane pushed his way roughly into the room and dragged Charisma up to face him, her knees buckled and she didn't make her sound._

"_What happened to him?" Vane demanded shaking her so forcefully her head lolled like a rag doll, her limbs shaking and boneless. Immediately a red head and a set of black haired twins yanked him back from her, all snarling and scratching at him. One pulled a dagger from her waist._

_Nicolette Peltier ran forward, her face white and looking suddenly older then she had been._

"_No fighting in the Sanctuary. You know our laws!"_

"_Tell this piece of shit to keep away from our sister then," one of the black haired twins growled, but looked away when Charisma had dropped back on the floor beside Fury. Fang moved to stand beside Vane, they were both naked from the waist up, their fists clenching and unclenching while animalistic growls rumbled in their throats. _

"_How did this happen!" Vane roared, making many of those present jump, all the Peltiers and the rest of the animals at Sanctuary watched Vane warily, knowing his enormous power and not wanting to be caught amidst a killing rage. The sisters however took know notice, the one who had drawn the dagger was breathing heavily, Vane watched her pulse jump rapidly in her neck when she turned to the red head and cried desperately._

"_Blaze! By the Gods, tell us what to do!"_

_Blaze licked her lips thinking and began snapping her fingers, "err, err …" she murmured in a shaky voice._

"_Blaze! You're the only one with the knowledge to fix this, you're the Goddess of healing! If we don't do something now we don't just lose him, we lose both of them!"_

_The other twin stepped forward and touched Charisma's face, she drew back with a hiss and looked at her hand as though expecting to see a burn mark there._

"_Kiara's right, Blaze. She's fading before our eyes, we need to do something," this woman's tone was lower and calmer but by no means less serious, both bored holes into their young sister, Blaze._

_Vane had never felt so useless in all his life, every time he looked at Fury he felt a wrenching pain in his heart, why hadn't Fury called on him to help him? Surely he would know that as brothers they always stand together? Surely he couldn't be so insecure as Bride had once said that he would doubt their loyalty and love for him? Vane had forever felt guilty over the years Fury had been in their pack before revealing himself as their brother, even then that had happened by accident. Now more then ever that guilt cut deep, ripping holes in his heart and soul._

"_I will give you anything if you heal him," he tried to keep is voice steady but it broke when he let his eyes drift to Fury's body, he could feel Fang shaking beside him, before he could stop himself he found himself shouting. "I beg you bring him back!"_

_Blaze was in tears gripping her hair not knowing what to do, she was sobbing so hard her chest heaved with them._

"_I don't know how to heal the dead! I can't bring them back to life! Only Sabine -"_

"_Where is Sabine?" the twin whom Vane didn't know the name of asked, but Blaze shook her head helplessly, this galvanised her into action. _

"_I won't lose anymore family!" she shouted and grabbed Vane's arm bringing him to stand beside her twin, Kiara._

"_Kiera?" Blaze said uncertainly, but she wasn't listening, she was pulling Blaze next to Vane's other side, then threw her head back and called out. "I call to my blood, I have need of you!"_

_She looked back at Kiara who looked completely confused. "Too much time has past, Blaze can't heal him, but we can trap his spirit! He is powerful -' she pointed to Vane, '- if they don't join with us he can help."_

_A flash of light signified that Celeste, Nitia, Odette, Fear, Pride and their brother Valon had heard her call, they took one look at the two bodies on the floor, then at Blaze and Kiara who were gripping Vane's hands. Immediately they took up positions and formed a circle. Kiera was the only one that didn't join hands instead she ducked under the clasped hands of Fear and Kiara and sat by Charisma._

"_Charisma, look at me!" she said urgently, Vane watched the girl's eyelashes flutter but not open, Kiera shook her. "Charisma call to your mate! He'll answer you, tell him to come back!"_

_Kiera's head flew up and she pointed to Fang, "you! Call to your brother! Anyway you can do it! You too!" She said to Vane. Both threw back their heads and howled into the night, it was a cry to the gods for mercy, a cry to their brother to join them again, a cry of a breaking heart._

_In the circles centre Charisma gave a cry and writhed upon the wooden boards, Kiera held her head still in between her palms, she shot a grim yet triumphant look towards Blaze._

"_She's calling him! He's coming back! Be ready!"_

_Vane had no idea what was going on, all he knew was that he was putting his heart and soul into that howl, wanting to create a homing beacon for Fury's wandering spirit, beckoning him to return to life. He turned his head and he saw his son in Bride's arms standing by the door, Quinn gave a high pitched yelp that he tried to make a howl, but even he could see the veins in his son's neck strain as he put forth a call to try and reach the dead. The over head light in the bedroom flickered frantically and Vane noticed for the first time Fury's strange in-laws were chanting in low ominous tones._

_On the floor Charisma continued to writhe and twist her body and finally she sat bolt up right and screamed, "FURY!"_

"_He's here!" Kiera shouted over the mixture of howls and chanting, "keep it going, keep him here! Fight Charisma, fight to bring him back! You want to live!" _

_She slapped the floor with her hand for emphasis and Charisma, who looked weak with purple shadows around her eyes and her lips blue, moaned Fury's name. Her voice gaining and losing strength frequently._

_Vane's throat felt raw, he had been continuously howling for five minutes, the noise had caused the bears cubs to wake up and collectively whine and cry out. The whole of the sanctuary had turned out to crowd the narrow landing and bedroom door to watch the phenomenon, they pushed and shoved at each other trying to glimpse at the scene before them that was as frightening to them as it was strange. _

_The whole circle looked exhausted, but none more so then Kiera and Vane instinctively knew that she was using all her energy to bind Fury to this earth, she looked like she would drop unconscious beside her sister at any moment. Then suddenly as if a light had been flicked on inside of them, they lifted their heads as one and looked towards the bedroom door, the chanting faltered as a young woman walked in._

_Vane thought her unremarkable at first, yet by the hush that fell over the room, he knew this to be the mysterious Sabine, the giver of life to his brother. The answer to his prayers._

_Instinctively they broke apart and Sabine stood at Fury's head and smiled, then with a little laugh she said kindly as though he could hear her._

"_I told you not to die."_

_Vane turned to exchange a look with Fang, "is she crazy?" Fang mouthed to him, Vane looked back at her, he didn't care what she was if she could give his brother back to him. The woman took a deep breath, they were all so busy watching her, waiting for some mysterious, complex piece of magic that he didn't notice Fury was awake until he sat up in wolf form and whined for attention. Fury turned his head and licked gently at Charisma's smooth face. Her lashes fluttered and lifted, immediately tears streamed from her eyes and she pulled her wolf closer._

"_I lost you," Charisma sobbed in to his fur that was quickly replaced with skin, naked, hot scarred from previous battles but glorious tanned flesh of a living breathing man. Charisma couldn't think, she could only sob and hang on even though she felt as if her sanity was slightly shaken by the prospect of losing someone she loved so much. "You were dead, I wanted to be dead too."_

_Clothes appeared on his body but Fury didn't look up, he continued to cradle her protectively against his chest. He remembered everything clearly up until he had actually died, which had been near enough instantaneous. He had jumped on Charisma to protect her from a blast, as he did he felt something sharp piece his side and he lay in agony for a few minutes staring at Charisma but unable to catch the breath to speak, she hadn't noticed but he felt her lay her paw over his, thinking he was still there. Then blackness. He's thoughts were of returning, he had no concept of life or death he just wanted Charisma in the blackness and he could feel her drawing nearer to him. Fury realised with a shudder that she was dying with him. He tightened his arms, he couldn't think about it now. He wouldn't._

_Fury glanced up and saw the room staring at him, but his eyes caught Vane's, he nodded to his brother and then looked at Sabine, he knew though he had no idea how he knew, that she had brought him back to life._

_Sabine sighed and sat back on her haunches, she waggled a finger at him._

"_Memento mori, my friend," she said and stroked her hand over Charisma's hair, Fury raised an eyebrow._

"_And that means?"_

_She laughed. "Its a Latin saying from your world: Remember you can die."_

_Fury's face was blank for a moment before grinned in a bemused kind of way, he shook his head. _

"_Ok, Sabine, I'll keep that in mind from now on."_

"_See that you do," she said with a definite nod of her head and vanished._


	15. Chapter 15

_Fury perched on the kitchen counter of Bride's home, it was the first time he had seen his brother since his untimely death and rather timely resurrection. For a whole week after the incident Fury had locked himself away with Charisma in their forest and indulged in simply being on earth again, at night he still woke up. Not from nightmares exactly, there were no images, just a feeling that he was stuck in darkness fighting to go back, watching a bead of marvellous light struggling to move towards him. He knew it was Charisma's soul and he called to her to move back, that he would wait for her. He'd wake up sometimes to find Charisma also awake, watching him or moaning in her sleep. _

_Fury looked up from his untouched bottle of beer that he rubbed slowly between his palms, Vane was sitting at the table staring at him, he shifted uncomfortably and turned to look at Fang who was sitting catty-corner from him on the other counter, also staring at him. He blew out a resigned breath._

"_Okay, I'm not going to feel right unless you say it," Fury exclaimed suddenly, he waited a heartbeat looking expectantly at his brothers, "so say it."_

"_You were dead," Fang whispered almost reverently, Fury didn't want to waste any sarcasm on him so he satisfied himself with giving Fang his drollest, most sarcastic glare._

"_What did you see?" Vane asked, his head tilted wolf like to the side, contemplating his brother, Fury paused and took a sip of his bear before answering._

"_I remember being hurt and I remember blackness coming over me, you know like when your about to pass out sometimes things go dark without you realising it?" Vane nodded, Fang shook his head, Fury smiled but ignored him. "I remember just existing in a dark place, I didn't know what put me there, where there was, I wasn't afraid or hurt, I just felt a bit confused. Then I saw Charisma's face in my … mind, I suppose and I just wanted her. To be where she was even though I could hardly recall who she was, it was like a compulsion to go to her and to do that I … it was like instinct, I knew I had to go back." Fury paused again, debating his next words. _

"_I have to tell you, the urge to stay where I was, was overpowering. To simply be there and if I chose to move forwards … again instinct told me I wouldn't be able to go back. Then I heard Charisma calling me and - and you two calling me, its hard to explain. I didn't hear it as such, it was more of a feeling that someone needed me to come back."_

_Fury looked at Vane and saw his brother was a little pale, Vane ran a not so steady hand over his face and rested it against his mouth. Fang was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his mouth slightly open. Fury cleared his throat._

"_Your catching flies, Fang," he said and Fang blinked._

"_What?" he said thickly still blinking and Fury smiled._

"_Shut your mouth, Fang!" Vane snapped, Fury and Fang exchanged amused looks, apparently Fury's demise had shaken up their eldest brother and since the time Fury had stepped foot in the house with Charisma this morning, Fang had been shouting out at random moments that Fury had collapsed. It had been hysterical watching Vane skid back into the room, looking like he'd just been drained of blood and dragged through a hedge backwards. _

_It was only when Charisma had threatened to turn them all in to spayed alley cats that they relented and cut Vane some slack._

"_Can she do that?" Fang had whispered casting anxious glances at her as she sat harmless on the couch with Bride, Fury shrugged ominously._

"_Best not to try your luck, eh?"_

_Vane fiddled with his own bottle of beer before pinning Fury with a gimlet stare and Fang snorting with laughter opened the fridge to hide his smile._

"_Why didn't you call us to help you?"_

_At this Fang became very still and Fury was sure he was listening, it wasn't so much what Vane said as the way he said it that made Fury want to wince. Though he refrained Fury felt a sinking in his stomach, there was something in his voice that told Fury he had hurt his brother in someway._

"_I just didn't think I needed it. It wasn't a deliberate attempt to piss you off!" Fury added defensively but Vane kept his cool._

"_I'm not pissed off, Fury. I'm just disappointed," Vane said in low even tones meeting Fury's eye directly. Now his heart sank, over the years he had always respected Vane as a fighter, now he loved and respected him as a man, a wolf and as his older brother and therefore his Alpha. He enjoyed that when they were together they didn't jostle for the leadership mantle and Vane had never tried to impose such, he had simply accepted him and Fury didn't realise now how much he had begun to look up to his brother and how low he felt at disappointing him._

"_I - I just …" Fury shrugged and scratched the back of his neck guiltily, Fang had given up pretending to search for food and was standing leaning on the open fridge door, his chin on his forearm, gazing at Fury. "You have a family now, Vane, you can't keep putting yourself in danger." _

"_So what are you then?" Vane shot back sharply, "my fucking gardener or something! You're my brother, Fury! My family! How hard am I going to have to push until it gets through your thick fucking head that you are my family no matter what? No matter that you were born Arcadian and raised away from us, that you spent hundreds of years as just one of our pack members? Now and forever after we're brothers. Or does that not matter to you?"_

_Fury mumbled that it did matter to him, and Vane shot out of his chair and poked Fury hard in the chest, Fury bit his tongue so hard to keep his temper in check he tasted blood._

"_Huh? Come on, answer me! What you too good for us? You don't want us your brothers? We bore you? We're an inconvenience to you, is that it?"_

_With each question he slapped or poked Fury in the chest and suddenly Fury ran Vane up the wall, holding him by the scruff of the neck._

"_Fuck you! You know that's not true! I would have given everything for you to know me all those years ago! You've always had Fang, he's always been yours. I haven't, and I don't want to lose what I have now. I'm not going to expect you to drop everything when I get myself in shit!"_

"_But I expect you to," Vane said simply and it was then that a red haze moved from his eyes and he realised with horror that he had run Vane in to the wall and secondly Vane wasn't struggling. Fury let him go as though he had been burned and backed away, Vane straightened his shirt with dignity and moved to clap Fury on the shoulder._

"_You think we don't see you as our brother, Fury, but we do. When we saw you dead that night .." Vane broke off and shook his head. "Its not something I'll ever forget. I've experienced the pain of losing Anya and when I saw you lying there, both of us -' Vane looked at Fang who nodded sombrely, '- it was of the hardest nights of our lives."_

_Fang fiddled with a plastic container before he spoke squinting at a corner of cheese as he did so._

"_Your right Vane and I have always had each other, but now we have you too. Remember that Fury, you've always got us."_

_Fury's throat tightened painfully and Vane squeezed his shoulder and ruffled his hair, Fury slapped him away and moved to sit up on the counter. _

"_I got to say this though, if you try and die again Fury. I'll kill you myself," said Fang casually, opening the container up to sniff at it._

"_What is this?" he asked Vane with a disgusted look and Vane who was looking more relaxed all of a sudden just shrugged and sipped his beer._

"_Fang!" All three men jumped and looked around guiltily, Bride walked in with a frown on her face, "shut that or the milk will turn."_

"_Sorry Bride," he closed the fridge and was about to sit down when they heard a delighted shout from Charisma in the hall._

"_Look who's here!"_

_And in single file through the kitchen door came Charisma holding Quinn who was leaning over her shoulder and growling at -_

"_Sasha!" Vane barked, "What are you doing to my son?"_

_Star rushed forward and caught Fury in a death grip immediately, while Sasha looked indignant._

"_Me! Your cub just bit my ankle!"_

_Fury laughed as he hugged Star back and winked at his nephew who smiled showing his baby teeth, Vane looked delighted._

"_Sorry about that Sasha, we've been trying to get him out of that stage ," Bride muttered, plucking Quinn out of Charisma's arms._

"_Its perfectly natural," Vane said, as though highly offended that she could think there was anything wrong with their son. "Fang went through it when he was a pup."_

_Bride raised her eyebrow and cast a doubtful look at Fang, who was sniffing at another container, and said, "we'll not get into that discussion again, Vane."_

"_Hey!"_

"_Sorry Fang."_

_Fury laughed at his family and hugged Star tighter, his eyes met with Charisma's and she beamed at him, lighting up his world, making it brighter then ever._

"_So Lazarus," Sasha said lazily as he sauntered over to retrieve Star from his arms, he pulled her back against his front. "did being reborn improve your shitty attitude?"_

"_Fuck you, Sasha!"_

"_Guess not," Sasha grinned at Charisma who laughed and walked over to lean against Fury's side._

"_I was so frightened when I heard what happened, Fury," Star said sweetly, hugging her mate's arm, "I thought I had found you only to lose you again."_

"_You can't get rid of me," Fury grinned at her before nuzzling Charisma's ear. "I'm like a bad penny, always turn up. Besides Vane and Fang would kick my ass if I did die again."_

_Charisma slipped her hand round and down to pinch that particular part of his anatomy, "so would I," she muttered with a huge smile. _

"_Looking forward to that," Fury whispered back and they only realised they were not alone when Sasha snorted in disgust, Star slapped his arm._

_Dinner that night was a joyous affair, Sasha and Star stayed for dinner, Fang disappeared for a while and came back with Aimee, who told them all Dev was covering for her when they gave them tense looks._

"_Yeah, he's pretty helpful all of a sudden," Vane noted frowning holding Bride's hand in his._

"_He's mate is a good influence on him," Aimee said smiling and there was a moment when all the males in the room glanced at their woman with loving eyes. Quinn broke that moment by throwing pea at Cujo the Labrador mix, that was laying absurdly on his back with his legs in the air, apparently too full to move by the treats everyone was sneaking him under the table._

"_You know Bride," Charisma said smiling fondly at both mother and baby, Fury would have loved her and been with Charisma whether his family had liked it or not but he felt it was an added bonus that both all the women at the table looked upon each other with apparent affection and friendliness. "If you and Vane ever want to go out and you don't have a baby sitter, me and Fury will do it for you."_

_Fury hid his smile in his mashed potatoes, they had been planning how to announce their pregnancy to the family, Fury had a feeling that Bride and the gang would take it a lot better then Charisma's family. Although Blaze and the twins had screamed and hugged them for nearly half an hour before calming down and Sabine had kissed them both congratulations smiling widely, the rest were slightly offish with the idea. _

"_That's nice of you," Bride said kindly smiling, Vane rubbed the backs of his fingers over her cheek and she smiled at him. "My parents usually baby-sit for us though."_

"_Its just, well, Fury needs the practice …" she left her last words hanging and the clatter of cutlery against plates, though slightly delayed, stopped as one. Fury puffed out his chest proudly and Bride jumped up and hugged Charisma with a shriek of delight, Star looked as if she were going to cry with joy and hugged them both, the men shook hands. When Bride reached Fury, there was a special look in her eyes, a satisfied gleam that her favourite brother - in -law had finally found his purpose in life, finally found that he belonged. That look made Fury's throat tighten and he hugged Bride who whispered. "I'm so happy for you."_

"_Hear that, Quinn," Vane said to his son, "Uncle Fury is going to have a baby."_

_Quinn, who Fury was sure didn't fully understand, clapped and laughed along with the rest of them._

_Fury flashed himself and Charisma back to the glen where he and his pack were denning, Charisma spun out of his arms and back into them again so her back was pressed to his front, Fury laughed and wrapped them tightly around her then planted them on her rounded hips._

"_Mine," he said softly in her ear before trailing his hands slowly up to her aching breasts to cup them, Charisma moaned with pleasure._

"_Always," she breathed back, her voice hitching a little when his hands kneaded, Charisma tipped her chin back so she was looking at Fury's beautiful face. He bent down to drop a lingering kiss on her soft lips, trailing his lips over her satin cheek to her little ear._

"_Bond with me?" he whispered so gently that his breath tickled her ear while her eyes teared up and a lump formed in her throat. She turned in his arms to look at him._

"_Oh Fury, you have no idea how much I want to," Charisma said running her fingertip over his lips._

"_But you won't?" His heart felt like it was being squashed under a block of concrete. _

"_Not while I am still carrying our baby," Charisma said cupping his face in her hands and looking him in the eyes, "I know that if we were bonded and you were killed I would not die until after the baby was born. But I don't think I can do it now, I feel as if it would jinxing all we have."_

_Fury sighed and nodded, perhaps he was asking too much of her, he kissed her lips and wiped away the worried look she was giving him._

"_Will you still love me if I asked you to ask me that question after we have the baby?" Charisma asked teasingly but there was a shadow in her eyes that told him she was scared she had hurt him._

"_There's nothing in this world that could stop me loving you," he said then gave a long suffering sigh. "Don't think you've got me wrapped around your finger though, wench!"_

_Charisma pinched his butt hard in mock punishment. "I've got you exactly where I want you."_

_Fury raised a suggestive eyebrow. "And right now," she continued, circling him._

"_I want you naked." His clothes vanished._

"_I want you lying down." He found himself a little disorientated lying on a bed of soft flowers that sprang up to form a floral scented bed beneath him._

"_And I want you ready to love me." Charisma let her own clothes disappear from her body before she was on her knees and crawling towards him like some predatory feline, a playful glint in her eye. _

_Fury groaned with satisfaction when her head dipped over his groin area, he flung an arm over his eyes a second before they crossed and he hissed with pleasure. _

"_Yeah, your right," he conceded, burying his hands in her hair, "I'm more then happy to concur if you want me in this position."_


	16. Chapter 16

"What brand are you thinking of?"

Charisma looked up from her glass of orange juice to stare blankly at Grace Alexander for a moment, suddenly wondering how she had got here and more importantly how had they got on to this discussion. To give herself thinking time Charisma cleared her throat and put down her glass.

"Erm, well," she began smoothing over her ragged jeans, "is there more then one?"

The women in the room laughed as one and Charisma wished Fury were here but knowing her mate he would have looked nonplussed and shrugged, feeling her face flush Charisma looked over to Bride who shook her head at the women and gave Charisma an affectionate look.

"Oh come on!" an exasperated voice cried and Charisma looked at its owner. Tabitha Devereaux the slight, ultra sexy goth chick was truly blessed when it came to looks and sex appeal, she had it all. "I did not come to this to listen about you guys discussing diaper brands! Lets get the music on, the drinks out and dance around naked in the garden!"

She made the rock on gesture with her hands and the women laughed, including Charisma who liked everything about Tabitha, although she was rather strange.

"Tabby, if we do that the cops will be called again and it will be Mardi Gras back in high school all over again!" Bride laughed and Tabby pouted, then brightened when she leant on the ottoman that was in the centre of the circle of bodies.

"Ok then," she said with a naughty grin, "lets talk about who's husband or mate -" she acknowledged Bride and Charisma, both of whom raised their glasses. "Has the best assets."

She waggled her eyebrows and Charisma flushed again, thinking of Fury.

The baby shower or whatever it was called went on for hours or so it seemed to Charisma, when finally the last woman left (which happened to be Tabby, who was a little tipsy) Bride flopped down on the couch.

"That was great, huh?" she sighed happily.

"Yeah, great," Charisma said a little untruthfully and Bride saw through it.

"It was kind of hectic, sorry for releasing them all on you at once."

"Its fine, Bride," Charisma shook her head with a smile, "it was nice just a bit … overwhelming. I never knew there was so much to having a baby…"

Bride laughed, "its not that bad, Charisma, honestly. And stop clearing up we can do that after we've had a rest."

Charisma flopped down beside Bride and after a few minutes of silence, she frowned. "Where was Star today?"

"She was supposed to be here."

"I know," Charisma said thoughtfully then shrugged, "probably having a good time with Sasha."

Bride laughed. "Speaking of good times I'm sure Valerius will be having a good time when Tabby gets home."

"Did you hear what Grace said about Julian's -"

A growl behind them had both women giggling and turning to see their mates and Fang walking through the door.

"You don't need to be talking about anyone's husband but your own!" Vane barked, pulling Bride from the couch and wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. Bride giggled again and pulled back, flouncing off to the kitchen carrying bowls of nibbles she glanced back over her shoulder.

"Oh believe me, we talked about you." She winked at Charisma who pressed her lips together and gave Vane an innocent look, Vane followed his wife into the kitchen, "what have you told them about me?"

Charisma met Fury's eyes, he gave her a cocky grin before sitting next to her, throwing his arm around her.

"I'm not worried about you've said about me," he told her, "it only enhances my rep, baby."

Fang laughed when Charisma slapped Fury in the stomach, Charisma turned her eyes on him.

"I don't know what your laughing at, Aimee was here too, you know," Charisma laughed evilly when she saw Fang's face grow taunt. "I didn't know you liked her to rub your stomach. Tickle boy!"

Fang blanched and flashed out of the room, no doubt to hunt up Aimee, Fury roared with laughter.

"What was all that Aimee said?"

"I don't know, she wasn't even here. I just guessed lucky." Chuckling Fury nuzzled her ear.

"You're an evil one, mate," he whispered huskily sending chills all over Charisma's skin, "why don't you and I -"

Fury broke off when a flash in the middle of the room made both he and Charisma jump, "what the f - Sasha?"

Sasha tried repeatedly to get to his feet but his leg that was more bloodied then the rest of him and evidently broken shook under him and he collapsed in a bloodied, unmoving mass. Fury swore crudely as he moved towards Sasha and pulled him up against the couch in a sitting position, Charisma leant down beside him.

"Vane!" Fury called urgently through to the kitchen.

"Shit, Sasha, what the hells h -"

"Your brother," Sasha growled between clenched teeth, he was obviously in a great deal of pain but to his credit he made no sounds of distress, the only signs that Sasha was in pain was his body's trembling and his deep controlled breathing, Sasha closed his eyes and continued to grit out his words.

"Your brother attacked us. Dare. He -" Sasha stopped and took a deep breath he let it out in a trembling rush. "Take - taken her to England!"

"Star? He's taken my sister back with him?" Fury pushed and Sasha nodded.

Vane, who had been standing behind Fury, growled menacingly, Fury turned a feral gaze to his brother and growled and the wolf within them both was so blatant that Bride took a step back. Charisma however under her concern for Sasha and Star felt a surge of pride for her wolf.

"Get us there Vane, take me back!"

"Already there!"

Fury blinked and looked around, yep, he thought with a disgusted sigh, I'm back.

"Aww, damn it, Vane, what now?"

Fury looked over his shoulder in surprise to see Fang scowling at Vane, shit Vane was powerful, Fang wasn't even in the same house and Vane plucked him back to fifteenth century England.

"Stars' been kidnapped by Dare, we're getting her back," Vane answered sharply and Fang made a small O with his mouth before shrugging and putting on his game face. Fury admitted that when Fang wasn't acting the clown the guy could really put the shits up a person with a don't mess with me look like that.

"Hey, where's Sasha?" Fang asked looking around him.

"His out of action at the moment," Fury answered, then added with a grin, "besides when we get her back we can rub his nose in it."

Fang laughed wickedly and rubbed his palms together then they set off out of the forest and down the hill towards the Arcadian settlement where their sister was being held captive. With Vane in the centre and slightly in front of the two other brothers, with his green eyes, Fury behind to his right with his blonde hair and Fang on the left all dark and growling, they made quite a sight. Earth-shatteringly handsome and menacing in their beauty they looked like three avenging angels come to wreck justice upon the world.

In the valley below they stopped before a stone fortress, its huge medieval doors wooden, thick and impenetrable to a mere human. Fury smiled darkly yet there was no humour in his face, inside there was a brewing rage, for the last time would Dare ever fuck with him again. Never more would the Arcadians take what was dear from him, they had tried to kill him, tried to kill his brothers and kidnap his brothers mate, now they try to take his sister, enough was enough.

"Time to morph to wolf now boys," Vane said, his eyes that never left the doors were blazing with heat, his body was humming with the frightening yet magnificent Aristos powers. Fang exchanged a look with Fury that they normally gave each other when faced with their brothers powers, it was dark satisfaction and supreme confidence that they were unbeatable. Fang chuckled sinisterly.

"I love it when he gets like this, you know shits really going down when he says those words," He said to Fury before flashing himself into a huge brown wolf, Fury followed suit knowing that he and Fang as Katagaria were stronger in their wolf forms.

"Stand back," Vane said softly, then raising his hands palms facing outwards he threw a wave of power from his hands that shattered the thick oak into millions of splinters, spraying the crowd gathered in the hall within with flying pieces of wood. Fury cocked his head, normally Vane had more finesse, preferring to turn it to dust rather then splinters, he exchanged that 'look' again with Fang even in wolf form they understood each other. Vane was pissed off.

The man at the door stood broad and tall with two ferocious wolves growling and snarling at his ankles, a terrible wave of fear went through the Arcadians at the sight of them.

"I've come for Star," Vane's voice rang in the fearfully tense silence, "where is my sister!"

The fearsome trio moved as one into the hall, the light of the sun spilling in through the windows and shattered door reflecting off their shiny hair and coats, making them look otherworldly even to another were-hunter.

Fury's eyes instantly found Dare and pinned him with a predators stare, he growled dangerously as he watched his human brother smile mockingly before reaching down beside him, his hand disappearing below Fury's line of vision that was obscured by the large ornate throne he was sitting on. There was a high whining noise and Dare yanked Star out from behind the throne, his hand buried tightly in her hair, he wrenched viciously making Star cry out.

Fury bounded forward intent on ripping Dare's throat out when Dare manifested a dagger and held it to Star's throat, Fury skidded to a halt, his flanks heaving more from rage then actual exertion.

"Let her go, Dare!" Vane barked, "and we'll spare your life!"

Dare laughed mockingly and Fury transformed into his human form relishing the violence and anger in Dare's face.

"You bastard!" Dare shouted so close to Star's ear she cringed with pain, other then a bruise on her cheek she looked unharmed, there were no injuries on her body from Fury's quick assessment, the blood that coated her clothes must have come from Sasha. "You should have stayed dead!"

"What and miss all the fun?"

Vane laughed before lowering his head so that his magnetic green gaze drew Dare's attention.

"Let. Her. Go." He bit out every word carefully so that all heard it, his voice was laced with deadly violence that made even Fury want to shudder. Dare paled, his eyes flickering over the hall and the walls as if he were looking for an escape or some divine intervention, but no one could help him, there was no way he could win. He pressed the blade tighter against Star's throat and Fury, Fang and Vane let out rumbling growls.

"You bitch!" he spat in her ear never taking his eyes off his three brothers, "I hope you rot you Katagaria whore!"

"Know this Dare," Fury called out, "should you hurt her, there is no place you could ever run that we will not find you. Sasha has friends in high places and we have an Aristos ready to wipe the floor with your pathetic hide. Remember who I am. Remember who Vane is. Now think carefully."

Dare panted and sweat run steadily down his face, his eyes flickered nervously.

"You haven't heard the last of this! This isn't the end yet!" he whispered furiously.

"Oh no, brother," came Fang's voice menacingly from behind them, "the end is very fucking nigh, so watch your back."

Dare blanched a second before he threw Star from him and flashed out of the hall leaving the rest of the cowering Arcadian's to defend themselves, Fury walked over to Star and picked her up, cradling her in his arms as if she were still a babe.

"No retribution will be dealt out to your pack," Vane spoke clearly to the hall, many of the warriors had drawn their swords, glancing about uneasily, unsure of what the brothers were about to do. "Should you however seek to carry on the crimes committed by your alpha against my family, I promise you every soul in this room will be slaughtered."

The drop of a pin would have echoed in the resounding silence that followed Vane's words, Star was silently shaking in Fury's arms and it made him even more enraged, he wanted Dare's blood this time. In the same formation they entered in they left, only to have Fang pause by a group of cowering Arcadians and bark at them suddenly so they tripped over their own feet to scramble away from him. The side of Vane's mouth quirked up but Fury was too deeply immersed in the tormenting memories of this place that he once called home. He hoisted Star higher in his arms and waited for Vane to flash them all back to New Orleans.


	17. Chapter 17

In that split second before Fury was clear headed after time travelling Star was already plucked from his arms, Fury blinked and watched Sasha cradling Star to his chest cross to the couch where he sat and simply held her.

"You heal fast," Vane said and Fury observed that while he's clothes were still torn and stained with dry blood his skin was smooth and uninjured. Sasha didn't respond but shook his head while keeping Star in such a tight hold she could do nothing but simply hold him back, she rubbed his back whispering soothingly to him. Fury looked over his shoulder and his eyes found Charisma's, standing next to her was Blaze, he walked over to them.

"I'm surprised he let you heal him," Fury muttered leaning down to kiss Charisma.

"He wasn't going to, but we told him if he was needed to fight if we couldn't get Star back he wouldn't be any use."

"Ah."

Fury hugged Charisma to him whilst watching Sasha over her head, the wolf was pale and shaking as he whispered to his mate, Fury looked at Blaze and raised an eyebrow.

"When they let you out?"

"Since they realised they needed my ass," Blaze grinned, "what can I say I'm indispensable."

"Speaking of," Charisma pinned her sister with a gimlet stare, "I'm taking you back to the sanctuary."

"No!"

Fury laughed and looked down at Charisma who was still moulded warm to his side, she turned her precious face up to him and blew him a small kiss.

"See you later, my wolf," she said extracting herself with obvious reluctance from his side, Fury gripped her chin firmly in his hand and pressed his lips firmly to hers, his tongue sweeping in to tease hers, sweetly, briefly. He pulled back to give her a steely look.

"Come straight back."

"Will do, baby."

Without looking away from him, her sultry eyes promises midnight wickedness for him she flashed herself and Blaze back to Sanctuary. Fury felt a slight tightness in his skin, a tautness that would not let up until she was at his side once more.

Charisma parked her whining sister at Sanctuary and was about to flash herself directly back to Fury's side, she bit her lip .. Surely he wouldn't miss her for a few more minutes yet. Charisma flashed herself to Liza's doll store and pushed open the door to get inside.

She bit her lip as she examined the dainty dolls she would be soon buying for own little one, if it were a girl of course. If it were a boy … Daydreams filled Charisma's head until she was oblivious to Liza watching her from behind the counter or a dark haired wolf watching her from behind the glass at the window.

Dare curled his lip at the pretty blonde woman in the store, she was looking at a doll in a frilly pink dress that had hair long and curly like her own. She reeked of Fury. His brother was mated. Drawing a dagger from the sheath at his waist he held the blade so it was discreetly hidden by his wrist and made his way inside the shop, his eyes never leaving the blonde woman. His mind playing over and over how he planned to kill her and send her body back to Fury.

"Hello, my lady."

Charisma looked round in surprise at being addressed by such a deep voice, she stared up at the man in front of her and knew instantly who he was and what his intentions were in seeking her out. That alone made her blood boil, plastering a simpering, I'm-a-helpless-female-with-no-brains-look on her face she smiled up at him, for he had a good few inches on her.

"Hi."

"You're a little old for dolls if you don't mind my saying so," he teased in such a charming manner that it put Charisma's teeth on edge. He would be almost likable if he wasn't such a bastard.

"I'm not looking for me, silly wolf," she said sweetly and noted how his eyes widened in shock, her grin turned wicked. How stupid that he thought he could hide his scent in the presence of a goddess. Charisma caught the shifting of his stance, the subtle flick of his wrist that pulled forth the concealed blade, she let him lunge and flashed herself outside the store. She watched him spin stupidly, blindly on the spot before tapping on the window and waving like an eager child, Dare ran to the door but on the threshold realised the street was empty.

Charisma crept up behind him, thoroughly enjoying herself, and laughed lightly Dare roared and spun on his heel slashing with the blade. Charisma hopped and skipped backwards, her powers surging slightly, the chimes and tinkles of music boxes began to play while ballerina dolls whirled on their platforms.

"You bitch!" Dare snarled, sweat leaking from his brow, Charisma laughed mockingly, before opening her arms in a bring-it-on sign.

Fury tried not to pace, Charisma had only been gone five minutes, yet he couldn't shake a feeling that something was up.

"Fury, sit down," Fang groused from the sofa, Fury ignored him.

"Fang's right, brother," Vane muttered, wrestling with Quinn for the remote, "she's a big girl and a goddess. I think she can take care of herself. Give - the - control- to - daddy!"

Bride came into the room and took the remote from both of them and flicked the T.V off, she past Vane a glare before turning her eyes to Fury.

"Just go find her, okay. Your driving us nuts."

Fury did a one shoulder sort of shrug before zoning in on Charisma and flashing himself out of Vane's house, he appeared in an alley across the road from Liza's doll shop. The moment he stepped out into the sunlight he fixed his eyes on his mate through the window and almost fainted. She was fighting. With Dare! He gave a yelp and flashed himself in daylight to the store and rushed inside. His frantic mind not registering that his mate was kicking the male wolf's ass.

Charisma looked up from flooring Dare once more to see Fury rushing through the door, his face thunderous and savage.

"Get away from him!" he roared so ferociously that Charisma backed off automatically before she could remind herself that she took orders from no one. Fury marched into the room, his stride enormous, pure feral anger and intent to kill radiating from his skin, he was like the werewolf of legend. The beast was there in him distorting his handsome face so he looked neither wolf nor man but a hybrid of both. Fury stooped to catch a panting and thoroughly exhausted but not entirely roughed up Dare by the scruff of the neck, Fury glanced over his brother's face, a good few well-aimed jabs had caught him in the face but it wasn't a modicum of what he deserved.

"You come here," Fury growled, his voice gravely and hateful, "you dare to threaten my mate! I am going to rip your throat out and watch you drowned!"

Dare just laughed at him, and Charisma literally felt Fury's rage intensify until the room was suffocated wit it.

"You may kill me, Fury. But our family will never stop. You and your animal brother Fang and his mate, your freak brother Vane and his mate and mutant pup. Your whore, your sister, her mate! You'll never be safe! You'll -"

Fury cut him off by raining blows on him, Dare's body buckled under the relentless assault, it was all Fury could do to stay human. He felt his fangs elongated, knew that in his wolf form he was even more deadly and he would be unstoppable. Dare was most certainly going to die today, in the middle of this store, he knew it for certain.

Fury pulled his fist back, before he could let another concrete punch fly he felt a warm hand circle his wrist. Not even reaching all the way round the thickness of it Charisma's hand was so dainty neck to his, so soft and un-callused, such a contrast to Fury's clenched fist stained with blood. It seemed wrong that she should have to witness such an act, Fury stopped briefly and without looking at her told her to leave.

"I can't let him live and I don't want you to see me as an animal," he panted, the adrenaline pumping through him making him shake. Charisma stepped closer to him and stood on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, her precious, beloved Fury.

"Let me do this, my lovely wolf," Charisma whispered, "Death is a release not a punishment. To live is sometimes worse when you have nothing to live for."

Fury let out a shaky breath and pulled Charisma to him and buried his face in her neck, he needed then her cleanliness, her kindness, her light. He needed to bask in it and let it force back the centuries of loneliness and pain he had endured by those who should have loved him, needed her to wash away the blood from his skin and ease the weariness in his bones.

He was tired of being hunted, of being a hunter, he needed rest ….

Charisma let Fury step back from her and she fixed her eyes upon Dare who was laying heaving and bloody on the floor. His mangled face was unrecognisable as it had swelled from the pummelling it had been given, still the stupid arrogant wolf was able to spit out one last mocking comment.

"You are so weak you would have your woman finish me, Fury? Do you not have it in you to kill?"

Charisma smiled at him and she leant down so that he was looking through swollen eyes at her face.

"Big mistake little wolf, goddesses don't like their loved ones hurt. You should have been more careful who you tried to kill."

Dare's eyes flickered and Charisma rose above him, calling on her limited powers she summoned them to the forefront to deliver her curse.

"You, Dare son of Marcus and Bryani, Blood of Lykos in your veins shall never more know peace for the insult you have delivered unto myself and my mate. As you have hurt the flesh of your brother that pain shall rain down upon your flesh. As you have spilt the blood of your brother so to shall your blood be spilt. Where you have cast out your blood so to must your blood cast you out. You raised your hand to strike against your brother once, now you too shall feel the raining pain of hate on your body and soul. Only when you have a pure heart may your suffering be ended. So say I, Charisma, Goddess of all natural things, so it will come to pass."

Her speech ended on a echoing, ominous note laden with power and purpose, Fury shivered and with a flash Dare was cast from the room, the air cleared and Charisma turned to him, her smile shy and a little uncertain. He pulled her swiftly into his embrace and kissed her temple.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in to her hair, "is the baby okay?"

"We're fine." She waited a heartbeat, then, "that's the first time I've ever cursed anyone."

Fury felt his breath leave him, "you did good."

Charisma snuggled closer. "Thank you."

"What did you do to him?" Fury asked suddenly. Charisma raised her head slowly from his hard chest and pursed her lips as if thinking how to answer then shook her head.

"You don't need to know now, love."

Fury nodded and kissed her.

"When I saw you in here. With him, I freaked."

Charisma laughed. "You don't have to protect me all the time, you know."

Fury tightened his hold on her. "Yes I do. You're my heart and my life. I know we're not bonded but I don't need that to know that without you, its not a matter of can't getting on with living. Its that I refuse to do so, I won't live without you. Not without you."

Charisma sniffed daintily. "Well, in that case I think you better take me home and put me to bed so you can keep an eye on me. You know," she added briskly, "in case I need protecting."

Fury laughed and bent his head to kiss her again when the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them drew their attention. Fury turned to see Liza standing by her back door looking angry.

"She looks pissed," he hissed to Charisma.

"Your damn right I'm pissed, dog boy!" she snapped, wagging her finger in his face and throwing a dirty look at Charisma who hide her face and her smile in Fury's shoulder. "You coming in here, messing up my waxed floor, treating my store like some heavy weight boxing ring. You do it again and I'll book you an appointment with Dr. McTierney and see how you like that!"

Liza stopped her rant when the floor magically cleaned itself, she shot a half irritated half amused look at Fury who grinned winningly.

"Later Liza, got my girl to look after now."

Liza stared at the empty air after Fury had flashed him and his pretty mate away, she sighed, all things considered this was just another normal, actually quite boring day at the office. Who knew running a doll store could be so exciting.


	18. Chapter 18

Fury looked at the cradle he, Vane and Fang had built and wrinkled his nose, considering that he was a wolf and so were his brothers and none of them had any experience in anything to do with carpentry, it was a damn good job. Blaze, the twins and Sabine had ambushed him a few weeks ago and told him it was a tradition within their people for the men to make the baby's sleeping place, a symbol of shelter and protection. In an effort to please Charisma he and his brother's had worked on it in secret and now it was finished, granted Sasha had helped with the details like the carving of the wolf cubs but really all the wolf had done was sit back, eating and mocking them as they cursed from splinters and blackened nails.

Fury ran his hand over the cradles smooth hood then down to the intricate carvings of roses and leaves, on the very top her had a carving of a wolf made, the wolf was laying down with its head and front paws hanging over the lip of the hood as if it were watching the baby sleep, Fury felt his lips curl into a smile. He was well and truly going to be a daddy in two days time. Charisma was due in two days and if Fury was honest with himself he was terrified, he hadn't been able to sleep at all thinking about it.

To be safe he had moved them into the house he had bought especially for the pregnancy (even though Charisma had told him she didn't care whether she gave birth outside of in) and given his second in command temporary leadership over the pack, it did occur to him that when it was time to reclaim the pack he may have to fight for it, wolves were very awkward like that, always fighting for the alpha status. However it didn't matter to him, as long as his mate was happy and safe and his pups were well.

Fury thought of this morning when he had awoken to find that Charisma's side of the bed was empty, he'd nearly had a stroke and stumbled downstairs, stubbing his toe and cursing violently to see her and Bride sitting at the table eating and discussing mother type things. The memory of it brought tears of laughter to Charisma's eyes every time it was mentioned. And his brothers, Fury grimaced, they were last thing he needed. Sasha on the other hand had been strangely helpful, cradle issue aside, and Fury supposed it was because he himself was going through the same thing, though Star wasn't due for another week yet.

"What are you doing in here?" Fury froze as he heard Charisma's delighted, suspicious voice travel through the room and over his body. Fury grabbed a sheet and threw it over the cradle and turned, his breath caught in his throat, Charisma stood leaning a shoulder against the door jamb. She wore a flimsy, white dress that fell to her knees and over it a yellow cardigan, her feet and legs were bare, her hair pulled back at the front was let down to furl around her lovely shoulders. She was all honey and golden light, the swell of her belly so visible and round to his gaze. His heart ached and he had to clear his throat to get past the lump there.

"Nothing, my beautiful mate," he muttered moving over to her and laying his big hands on her stomach, she covered them with her own. "Why don't I go upstairs and run a bath for us, then I'll wash your back while you soak."

He kissed her ear then her neck, was about to move to her lips when he felt a firm kick against his palm, Fury laughed loudly along with Charisma, she gazed up at him with her heart in her eyes.

"I think she wants some attention from her daddy," she said with joyous laughter in her voice, Fury felt that lump again in his throat but it was no longer painful, it made his heart swell and over flow. He bent his head and pressed his lips to the distended stomach and whispered to his little girl.

"I'm going to get that bath going," Fury said once he straightened, he ran a hand down Charisma's face. "There are definite benefits to living like a human." And baths were one of them he thought skipping up the stairs with a smile of anticipation on his face.

Charisma laughed to herself as she watched him go and turned to walk further in to the room, did he really think he would make her curiosity go away by throwing a bed sheet over whatever he was hiding. If anything it made her determined to get into the room and find out what it was that kept him so focused in here all the time.

Charisma pulled the sheet away and gasped, her eyes filled with tears as she trailed her hands over the wood, how could he possibly have known. In her world a father is required to give three gifts throughout the child's life, the first and what always seemed the most important to Charisma was the cradle when the child was born, a symbol of protection and shelter, it is a pledge to the child that you would keep it safe while it slept and comfort when it wakes.

She couldn't imagine the lengths Fury must have gone to make such a beautiful thing, she was just so … grateful. For him. Her life. For everything.

She still hadn't told Fury what she had done with Dare but right now she knew he was alone and suffering, she had made sure that he would be rejected by family and clan, she felt harsh and a terrible weight filled her when she thought of him but he deserved punishment, needed it, if the next few years could not cure his soul of hate nothing could.

He was no longer a feature in their lives and for that she was glad, for Fury could now concentrate entirely on his family and he would need to, especially when time came for the next two gifts he was obliged to give their daughter. The second gift was as the child came to the ending of their puberty phase, from the father they would receive a ceremonial weapon, usually a sword if it were boy but seeing as they were having a girl she would be presented with a cross bow, the fathers gift would not only be the weapons but the lesson in how to use them, in short his gift is the ability to protect themselves. The third will be on the day of their child's birth and the father would present them once again with their cradle, to place their own child in. The son or the son-in-law would then add their own carving to the cradle. The last gift pledges loyalty, love and protection to the new generation and is as much a gift to the grandchild as it is the child, it is a start of family tradition and lineage.

Charisma covered her belly with her hand, they were going to have blessed lives, with a sigh Charisma was about to throw the sheet back over the cradle when a cramp had her doubling over.

"Oh God," she whispered breathlessly to herself, fear and joy exploding into her heart, "Oh Gods!"

Another cramp flew fast through her abdomen. "Fury!" she screamed holding on to the cradle for support. "Fury, damn it, get down here! She's coming! I'm having the baby! Zera's here!"


End file.
